An email pen pal wrote me this weekend to point out the irony of the Southern Baptist Convention’s actions last week against women in church leadership: “Do we realize a 20-year-old boy in college can pastor a Baptist church? But…
A primer on leading public prayer
Sunday, April 30, was my last Sunday as minister of music at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. That day my colleague, George Mason, senior pastor emeritus, offered Prayers of the People, a regular part of our worship liturgy led by…
Nine ‘Mama Bears’ testify how anti-LGBTQ legislation is harming their families
Loving and supporting LGBTQ children does not make Christian parents bad Christians, Mama Bears founder Liz Dyer said during a roundtable presented by the Human Rights Campaign. “I like to emphasize that my faith led me to become affirming of…
When a boy gets kicked out of a men’s restroom, it’s time to speak up
Our regular contributor Rick Pidcock has a young son who, like his father, wears beautiful long hair. Recently, his son came out of a restaurant’s men’s room crying because an adult man told him he wasn’t allowed to be in…
Hypocrisy
When we boil down all the assorted examples of how evangelicals have sold themselves to Donald Trump for 30 pieces of silver, one word summarizes it all: Hypocrisy. Call it irony. Call it opportunism. Call it greed. Call it a…
On the indictment of a president
Donald J. Trump may not be the first United States president who could have been indicted for criminal activity, but he surely is the most likely. The fact we now have reached this point and this statement is controversial tells…
Want to understand why the SBC expelled its largest church? Listen to W.A. Criswell
W.A. Criswell would be so proud of the Southern Baptist Convention this week. The man who once was the spokesman for why women should not — cannot — be pastors has reached peak influence 114 years after his birth. About…
Some words I’m working to adjust in my vocabulary this year
On New Year’s Eve, Lake Superior State University released its annual list of English-language words and phrases that should be banished in 2023 because they are overused and trite. Please don’t call this list the Greatest of All Time or…
The present crisis for church staff
Churches in America have been living amid rapid change for several decades now, accelerated like a dive on a roller coaster by COVID. Previously, much of our attention has focused on institutional change and challenges, the big picture of congregations…