By Marv Knox Houston Mayor Annise Parker might be in the running for the next Nobel Peace Prize for accomplishing the seemingly impossible. Her honor’s administration inadvertently gathered fundamentalist and liberal Christians, Muslims and Jews, and even Baha’is and Baptists…
Frightful world, fearless living
By Marv Knox It’s ludicrous, all right. Preposterous, even. But make no mistake: Fear misappropriates logic and steals perspective. It robs people of the ability to think clearly. It replaces reason with panicky, overwrought delusion. Far too often, fear is…
You can do something about declining Christian influence
By Marv Knox More and more U.S. Christians — particularly evangelicals — think they’re losing influence and feel embattled. They also say they want politicians to help rectify the situation. But maybe they should try to win their culture wars…
Let’s do something about race in America
By Marv Knox The most delusional moment of my life occurred Nov. 4, 2008. For an hour or so after Barack Obama won the U.S. presidential election, I believed the worst of America’s racism had subsided. America elected a black…
I have moved on
My friend Marv Knox recently wrote a wise column in which he urged Baptists to move on from past bitterness through repentance and forgiveness. As Knox noted, others such as David Gushee and Mark Wingfield have recently written on our…
Baptists’ way forward — repentance & forgiveness
By Marv Knox Reading the cover of the latest edition of The Christian Century felt a bit like yanking the scab off an old wound. Two conversation bubbles square off on a blue-and-red page. “Conservatives are closed-minded,” one insists. “Liberals…
OPINION: Paynter’s election is splendid news for CBF
How is Suzii Paynter’s selection to lead the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship great news? Let me count the ways. Before that, some background: CBF’s executive coordinator search committee nominated Paynter to lead the nationwide Baptist organization. If confirmed by the CBF…
Ethnic labels a hindrance to unity in Christ
Ethnic labels and segregation at the Lord’s Supper table thwart Christian unity, a Baptist international leader told participants at a Christian ethics lecture series in the United States. Neville Callam, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, delivered the 12th…