The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is kicking off a daylong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination April 4 by embarking on a 270-mile bicycle ride to raise awareness of the plight of America’s rural poor. Civil…
Alleged ‘Vote for Trump’ arson attack on black church strongly condemned by Miss. leaders
Cooperative Baptists are standing with a black Mississippi church set ablaze and vandalized with the words “Vote Trump” on Tuesday. And authorities announced today they have identified a person of interest in the arson attack. The city of Greenville, Miss.,…
High (tech) priest
Baptists are well known for our belief in the priesthood of all believers. This is a deep seated conviction that individuals do not need another person to intervene between the human and divine. Every human has the capacity and responsibility…
Post-apocalyptic Downton Abbey
“Downton Abbey” is a six-season drama based on one aristocratic family in England who navigates the treacherous period before and after World War I. As the 1920s come rushing in, the English aristocracy faces a cultural shift that will bring…
In a divided society, maybe we should shut up and listen
Years ago my oldest child, who was in kindergarten or first grade at the time, came home from school and told me that he heard one of his classmates use the “S” word. I was like, “Ah, ‘S’ word! Not…
Louisiana flood victims need help — including the spiritual kind, pastor says
Most Louisiana flooding victims are still much in the rescue phase, still in shock that their homes, businesses and communities remain underwater. But it won’t be long before they enter a stage of emotional devastation induced by seeing damaged or…
Life — and church — in a box
My life is in boxes right now. As I prepared to move from Connecticut to Mississippi, I packed over 40 boxes of books in my office. We have gone through each room, and while there is still a lot to…
Sacred space: the antidote to over-stimulation
Sometimes, pastors need a place to get away, a place to go where they can recharge between sermons and committee meetings and the like. They need a sanctuary from the sanctuary — a space where they can delve into Scripture, pray…
Delta-bred Coker returns home from New England to lead Mississippi CBF
The thermometer offered a 103-degree “Welcome Home” recently to Mississippi native Jason Coker, returning to his roots after 14 years of church leadership in Wilton, Conn. A Baptist from the South with a drawl, Coker arrived in the affluent Connecticut…
Incredulous me: The postmodern dilemma
Several weeks ago I was reading through the Doubting Thomas passage from the Gospel of John when I stumbled upon an image from the 17th century. In 1601-1602, the famous Michelangelo Caravaggio painted the scene where Jesus is guiding Thomas’s…
Finding utopia: Does God promote economic equality?
How would God structure an economy? This may be an odd question for a Baptist who believes in the separation of church and state, but it’s a question that I can’t help but ask. State religion does not have a…
Survival mode
Survival mode generally does not bring out the best in people. When nearly all of the luxuries of life have been stripped away and all you have left is the choice to survive, those choices are brutal. I’m not a…