By Amy Butler It’s a pretty commonly accepted biblical mandate that we welcome the stranger. As we’ve witnessed in the news of late, in our better moments we people of faith can manage to cross wide valleys of opinion to…
As for me and my house, call me a thug
By Connie Stinson I pastor a racially mixed church in a densely populated Maryland suburb of Washington. We accurately call ourselves diverse. One month ago, one of our young adults, a particularly gifted 20-year-old, preached “Judge Not” from my pulpit…
New wine for the Baptists
By Molly T. Marshall Our attitudes about new things are radically disparate. Some of us love new cars, new shoes, new books, new technology, but get really fearful when we consider new expressions of worship, gathered community, organizational structure and,…
Bumper sticker theology
By Russ Dean We live in a frightening world. Everywhere we turn there are reminders. There is violence in the streets; multiple killings seem commonplace and no place seems to be immune from the crosshairs of the lone gunman; our…
God’s gonna trouble the water
By Rob Lee At the church I serve, I had the opportunity to participate in my first baptism as a Baptist minister. I was raised Methodist, so this was a new and awe-inspiring experience for me. In true mountain fashion…
The speck is also the log
I’m a racist. I tried beginning this conversation differently; for instance, by talking about how incredibly difficult hearing about the events unfolding in Ferguson has been, but that route’s been mired in political and rhetorical polarization with each side mustering…
That’s between me and God (and God ain’t talkin’)
What’s going on when you ask a Christian about a specific practice of discipleship in their life and they say, “That is between me and God”? Perhaps nothing unusual. Or, perhaps a whole bunch of evasive things. What do you…
Real or imagined, persecution appears to part of Christian DNA
By Jeff Brumley Matt Cook says he frequently hears from fellow Baptists worried that the steady cultural shift away from church and faith may spell persecution for traditional Christians. It’s a fear born of constant news reports and anecdotes about…
Jesus and brain science agree
By Alan Bean Although you would never know it from listening to American preaching, Jesus linked poverty with the kingdom of God and affluence with sin. The text of the first sermon Jesus preached was taken from Isaiah 61: The…