We’ve ritualized death away from the young in this culture, in funeral homes and hospice facilities, but it has overtaken them with a vengeance in what were once safe spaces for learning.
The nation is grappling with mass gun killings. Why is the BGAV focused on human sexuality?
At this moment, why is the Baptist General Association of Virginia Executive Board talking about human sexuality? Yes, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship recently released their Illumination findings. And the CBF faces criticism from the right and the left for it. Right now, who cares?
Seasoned saints: Stand down and take direction from the youth on gun control
The Son of Man called on society then and, I believe, does so now, to “change and become like children.” Literally, we must humble ourselves enough to put aside what we deem as comforting and correct based on experience and age, power and privilege, and commit to living in a world where the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
After church massacre, some Americans say they’re worried about attending worship this Sunday
There may be some sparsely populated pews in American churches this weekend following last Sunday’s church massacre in Texas. Pastors in different parts of the country are hearing from church members worried that the fate of First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs — where a gunman murdered 26 and injured 20 — may befall their own congregations.
Will Sutherland Springs be a tipping point for Southern Baptists and guns?
Southern Baptist leaders have reached out in many ways to survivors of the rampage that killed 26 men, women and children last Sunday. Conspicuously absent is any suggestion that lives might have been saved by laws barring civilians from owning weapons designed to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time.
Gun control no longer about politics; it’s about life and death
Last week we witnessed an inspiring demonstration of leadership as Democrats in Congress staged a sit-in on the House floor to demand a vote on pending legislation around gun control. U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ (D-Ga.) declared: “Deadly mass shootings are…
Separating the weapons of truth from truthiness
There’s truth, and then there’s truthiness. At least that’s what we learned from Stephen Colbert in the days of yore when he came to us on TV via “The Colbert Report.” “Truthiness” is that kind of information that sounds like…
The Democrats sang a decades-old hymn of protest during their sit-in
When House Speaker Paul Ryan interrupted Democrats’ sit-in over gun control late Wednesday night, the protestors reportedly responded with a song — the famous civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”
Church shooting suspect gets public defender
A Pennsylvania man charged with manslaughter in an April 24 shooting inside a Southern Baptist church has been assigned a public defender in advance of a preliminary hearing scheduled May 12. Reports from local media say that members of the Montgomery…
What is the number of gun deaths before we say ‘enough’?
There was another shooting last week. There isn’t anything remarkable about that. I didn’t even know about it. Except this one occurred in a church, during a worship service, when one parishioner became “verbally abusive and agitated” when another member…
Arrest made in Philly church shooting
Criminal charges have been filed in a fatal shooting that took place inside a Southern Baptist church in Pennsylvania during a Sunday morning worship service April 24. Mark Storms, 46, of Landsdale, Pa., was arraigned April 28 on charges of…
This may be the best way to measure gun violence in America
Gun violence is usually measured in the cold calculation of deaths and injuries. That does not account for all the times when a gun is fired in anger, fear or by accident and the bullet misses its mark.