By Jeff Brumley Paris is attacked and about all most Americans can do is change their Facebook and Twitter profile pictures to French flags. Take that, ISIS. But for many there is a lot of frustration that goes along with…
The Nones, the Dones and class
By Jason Coker Are you tired of hearing about the Pew Research Center’s demographic study outlining the decline of Christianity in America? It was earth-shattering news for the few people who read it, but energized others who were tired of traditional…
New book on James reveals connection between ministry and scholarship
By Jeff Brumley What scholars do in seminaries and minsters do in the field may seem like polar opposite endeavors. Well, Jason Coker says, they aren’t. “I never separate the academics from practical ministry,” said Coker, pastor of Wilton Baptist…
Looking at the stars for the answers
By Jason Coker This past week I was one of many people at the Baptist World Alliance held in beautiful Durban, South Africa. There were many reasons the trip was meaningful, but personally, being there with other Baptists from over…
For these Baptists, VBS transforms congregations and communities
By Jeff Brumley and Olivia Williams Two Waco, Texas, Baptist congregations learned firsthand this summer that vacation Bible school can be a catalyst for bringing down cultural and racial barriers in a community. That lesson puts them in the company of…
Ohio bull-riding leads to 300 baptisms — and prompts questions about church as entertainment
By Jeff Brumley Pastor Lawrence Bishop II generated about 300 baptisms and an internet sensation last week by riding — and getting bucked off — a large bull inside his jam-packed Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, last week. The stunt by…
Bapticostals and Episcojewbus: Hybridity, unity and faith
By Jason Coker Identity is a tricky thing! Religious identity in particular can be a hard one to figure out. I grew up in the Mississippi Delta, which actually has quite a bit of racial, ethnic and religious diversity, but…
Be afraid, be very afraid
By Jason Coker A couple of weeks ago my whole family went to a “buy-in-bulk” store on a Saturday (never do this)! We live in a cold weather climate, so all the snow that has been collected in the parking…
Pastors wary as winter weather takes financial toll on nation’s churches
By Jeff Brumley With an ice storm blanketing Fort Worth, Texas, Senior Pastor Brent Beasley set out for Broadway Baptist Church to determine if services should be canceled the following morning. He found the sidewalks and parking lots covered by…