Leaving the pastorate of my congregation in June was the hardest vocational decision I’ve yet had to make. After reading Alexander Lang’s recent article, “Departure: Why I Left the Church,” I wanted to write about leaving my church while still…
Why I’ve stayed
On Aug. 27, Alexander Lang preached his last sermon at First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights, Ill. A few days later, he wrote a column titled “Departure: Why I Left the Church.” Since then, I have seen Lang’s column shared…
What Baptists have in common with pirates (the nice ones)
In light of recent Baptist news, I’ve been doing some reflection about how Baptists are really a lot like pirates, in a good way. (Disclaimer: I’m talking about the pirates of Treasure Island and Errol Flynn and Pirates of the…
A Southwesterner’s appreciation for Russell Dilday
The president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1978 to 1994, Russell Hooper Dilday, died June 21, at the age of 92. Under his leadership, Southwestern reached heights of enrollment and impact seen neither before nor after by a Southern…
What pastors may not say, but really want us to understand
Your pastor wants you to know, but he or she just can’t tell you. Your pastor knows too much transparency can be vocationally dangerous, depending on the level of honesty allowed in your church. At the same time, if you…
Queen Elizabeth was a role model for women in faith and leadership
“Hey, are you OK? As soon as I heard, I thought of you.” That’s what I heard on the other end of the phone from my best friend the day Queen Elizabeth died. Why did the death of a monarch…
John Onwuchekwa leaves Atlanta pastorate
A pastor who called out the Southern Baptist Convention for racism two years ago has stepped down from his Atlanta pastorate, saying his gifts for church starting do not translate to leading a larger congregation. John Onwuchekwa made headlines in…
Mary, Our Mother (For Baptists): Blessed is she
This is the final article in a four-part Advent series. One of my children asked me the other day, “What’s the big deal about access to birth control?” My answer was, “If your mother had not had access to birth…
What happened at Southwestern and why does it matter?
There is no joy in reporting that Southwestern Seminary has forced out its fourth president in 28 years. But there is a need to give some interpretation to what this means and why it likely happened. Even though I haven’t…