As a kid growing up in East Tennessee, there were few better ways to enjoy an oppressively sticky late summer evening, than attempting to catch lightnin’ bugs*. (*NOTE: I realize some of you may not be familiar with the colloquialism “lightnin’ bugs,” as…
What I have learned: The LGBT Issue, conclusion
Ten lessons learned in writing this series on LGBT issues. My series on LGBT issues and the Church is now over. A version of these essays, together with prefatory material and introductory comments by Brian McLaren, Phyllis Tickle and Matthew…
Sisters mourned husbands with different emotions, same Baptist faith
By Bill Webb It was one tragic event involving two siblings and two different reactions of grief, spirituality and faith. Sisters Heather Gilion and Holly Snell recently shared with Baptists in Missouri how the deaths of their husbands in a…
Worried about ISIS and Ebola? Pray the news, experts say
By Jeff Brumley These days, the news is full of disease, violence and death. It’s hardly possible to go a day, or even an hour, without exposure to images of beheadings, airstrikes, nations invading nations, downed or missing airliners and…
Sociologist: Concept of God impacts power of prayer, anxiety-related disorders
By Terry Goodrich Prayer seems to be more effective at combating psychological challenges for some than for others, a Baylor University sociologist has found. The type of attachment a praying individual feels toward God seems to matter most in easing…
Blessed are the barely there
Believing in God is hard. If anyone tells you otherwise they’re lying, or they’ve been frozen for eons under a housing development in Southern California like a Cro-Magnon Brendan Frazier in Encino Man.* (*NOTE: “The 90s were the gilded age…
Labyrinth transforms prayer life, Baptists say
By Jeff Brumley Rita Martin knows a thing or two about prayer as a lifelong Baptist who raised a family in the church. Or at least she thought she did until this past Maundy Thursday when she participated in a…
10 lessons: looking back on Holy Week
Holy Week invited us to reflect on the deeper matters of faith by revisiting the story of Jesus, especially giving attention to the events that occurred between Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem and his resurrection. The overarching message of God’s love…
Why it doesn’t matter if Noah film is inaccurate
Noah starring Russell Crowe has seen success at the box office with the general public but not everyone is happy about the film. Some claim that the Noah story was hijacked and is inaccurate. True, there are parts of Noah…
ACLU defends student’s right to read Bible
By Bob Allen The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee is speaking up for an elementary school student reportedly told he could not read the Bible during an after-school program funded by taxpayers. The group often in the news for…
Learning to suffer
I find it extremely ironic that the Church, which claims to be the embodiment the lamb that was slain, has such a difficult time ministering to those who are suffering. When tragedy strikes us, many congregants, deacons, and even some…
Top 10 Things that Show You are Not taking Lent Seriously
In commemoration of the Lenten season, a top ten list of things that show you just aren’t taking Lent seriously. 10. You think Ash Wednesday is kind of like “Downtown after Five,” only on Wednesday and only once a year….