David Gushee, a theologian and ethicist who teaches at the McAfee School of Theology, struck a nerve when he suggested that moderate Baptists with roots in the Southern Baptist Convention could benefit from a statement of faith. Bill Leonard, my…
I have moved on
My friend Marv Knox recently wrote a wise column in which he urged Baptists to move on from past bitterness through repentance and forgiveness. As Knox noted, others such as David Gushee and Mark Wingfield have recently written on our…
The crazy lady in the attic
Fred Phelps is dead and there is no one to mourn his passing. In the end, poor Fred was abandoned even by the cult his hate built. One is tempted to see Fred Phelps as an extreme expression of the…
Sunrise, sunset: The Church in America today
By David Gushee Follow David on Twitter: @dpgushee Across the United States, many churches are fading, some churches are closing, and a handful of churches are surging with explosive growth. Sunrise, sunset; sunrise, sunset. One of the topics I want to address in…
Professor facilitates tough debates
By Katherine Manson As Mercer University’s Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, David Gushee takes on tough topics ranging from abortion, health care, immigration and the environment. As director of Mercer’s Center for Theology and Public Life, he encourages others…
OPINION: The moral imperative of health-care reform
(ABP) — The national debate raging over health-care reform has become a maelstrom of competing claims and counterclaims. It has been deeply infected by political demagoguery and hysteria. The tenor of the debate raises the legitimate question as to whether…
SECOND OPINION: Truly valuing freedom of conscience
Moderate Baptists have distinguished themselves from their more conservative and fundamentalist brothers and sisters for a generation through their elevation of freedom of conscience to a near-absolute good. While the conservatives who came to dominate the Southern Baptist Convention increasingly…
SECOND OPINION: Gender debate ultimately about Jesus
On Sept. 15, I published an article in USA Today that has bounced around the blogosphere evoking intense reaction ever since. The argument of the article was that Sarah Palin's nomination for vice president, and the warm conservative evangelical response…
SECOND OPINION: How are Christians accountable to each other?
One of the most vexing issues in Christian life is the question of accountability. At every level of Christian community, the question arises. We know that Christians are accountable to God for their lives and will one day actually give…