BNG opinion columnist Doyle Sager died Jan. 22 after a battle with lung cancer. He was 69 years old. A native of Albany, Mo., Sager had served as lead pastor of First Baptist Church of Jefferson City, Mo., since 1997….
My cancer journey: ‘May the peace of God swaddle your world’
In her poem “The Fourth Sign of the Zodiac,” Mary Oliver observes that the fox and the snake move silently in the woods. And then she asks why we should be surprised that cancer could silently enter the forest of…
Five ideas for pandemic praying
A young professional in my church recently reached out to me with some prayer concerns. As we talked on the phone, he searched for words. It turns out he was struggling with more than his prayer life; he was struggling…
Making the gospel only about private righteousness is too easy
My spiritual birthplace was in a tiny Southern Baptist church in rural northwest Missouri. In the evangelical ethos of that time and place, spiritual maturity was defined in private terms. Confess Christ, get baptized, join a (cooperating Southern Baptist) church,…
Christians must seek ‘Easter moment’ beyond sanctuaries this year, ministers say
“This year has actually added a poignancy and intensity to Holy Week from all that I’m observing in my own heart and in my congregation.”
‘Politics’ is becoming a four-letter word in American society
“Relationships are more important than trying to win arguments.”
Pastor rushes home to Missouri city pounded by twister
First Baptist was only a few blocks from the tornado’s path but sustained no damage, Sager said. His home wasn’t touched and so far no members of the church have reported damage through the church’s available social media outlets.
Is the rise in anti-Semitism one of the Church’s unpaid bills?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer told his seminary students, “Only he who cries out for the Jews may sing Gregorian chants.” As Christian worshipers stand to sing on Sunday, we would do well to remember Bonhoeffer’s confession.
Check your idols at the church door. Trinket gods aren’t worth much.
Let’s name these false deities security, convenience and control. These are not three separate gods. They are the same idols, simply described in different ways, each highlighting different connotations and pointing in slightly different trajectories.
You CAN go home again
When we use our imaginations, our grief and loss have the potential to become the silent, fertile seedbed for redemptive, life-giving deeds.
Political correctness and biblical correctness: What if they’re sometimes the same?
There is a reason we use language carefully. Words matter. They have the power to exclude others and to create hurtful categories.
It’s time for U.S. Christians to discern our kairos
We don’t need more court preachers who have sold their souls for a mess of political porridge. We need prophets who will stand above partisan wrangling in order to speak truth to power.