Two apocalyptic movements bracket America’s democratic crisis. One predicts a future chaos; the other airs a past history of grievances. The future and the past impinge upon the present to paralyze the potential for positive action. One looks to the…
Church’s waning clout no surprise to ‘remnant’
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist scholar says a recent Pew study indicating Americans as a whole are growing less religious but that those who still belong to a religion are as faithful as ever simply confirms a “remnant” theme…
Savoring the ‘sacrament of the present moment,’ with a little help from The Decemberists
Christian thinking about the world we live in and God’s goals for it wrestles with a tension. What God envisions for the world is already being made manifest in the Easter reality of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and in…
Discussing ‘Left Behind’? Don’t leave this behind
By Kevin Glenn Internet and social media outlets are alive with links, shares, posts, comments and other sorts of communication surrounding the release of the film Left Behind, starring Nicolas Cage. Everything from the film’s quality, to its theology, to…
the next right thing.
Quite often, over the course of numerous conversations unfolding inside the circled wagons of wounded American Evangelicalism, there develops this almost liturgically repetitious refrain amongst the faithful: our best years are behind us. Whether it’s wistfully recounting the size of…
‘Left Behind’ coming to a theater — and maybe a seminary — near you
By Bob Allen With Nicholas Cage starring in the rapture-themed thriller Left Behind coming out in theaters Oct. 3, two Southern Baptist Convention seminaries recently announced endowed professorships with an emphasis including Bible prophecy. Both Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake…
Syria prompts end-times thinking
By Bob Allen A third of Americans believe recent conflict with Syria fulfills Bible prophecy about the end of the world, according to a telephone survey conducted in early September by LifeWay Research. With the threat of U.S. airstrikes against…
Obsessed with the End
By Ken Camp and Bob Allen In addition to Mother’s Day, many churches around the world will celebrate Sunday, May 12, as Ascension Sunday, recalling the day that Jesus’ resurrected body ascended into heaven as his disciples looked on 40…
The Eschatology of ‘Young Love’
Six months ago I couldn’t have imagined writing an appreciative review of an album by an artist whose music is frequently described as a unique blend of folk, hip-hop, and Brit-pop (think Coldplay for the latter genre). The Coldplay connection…