By Jeff Brumley Southern Baptists experienced little antagonism during their annual convention in Houston this week – a phenomenon that surprised some and delighted most SBC officials and messengers. There were plenty of opportunities for controversy. Debates ensued – but…
SBC pastor preaches mental health
By Jeff Brumley Compared to Southern Baptist Convention resolutions on the Boy Scouts and protection of children from sex predators, the one urging churches to develop intentional, compassionate ministries for the mentally ill got scant attention from local and national…
The stress of the movable Sabbath
Someone at church once asked me, “When is your day off?” I replied, “Friday.” “Wow.” He said. “I wish I could have Friday’s off. Must be nice.” “Well, I don’t get many Sundays off. That must be nice to have…
Remembering Will Campbell, a spiritual brother
Some years ago, songwriter and poet Mickey Newbury sat down to pen a song about Cortelia Clark. With the background full of sounds of distant trains and despair dripping from the trees, he led with this verse . . ….
Partisan solutions no way to fix social ills
By Luke Smith In light of the traumatic crimes of the past year, it is no surprise that we want to soothe our grief by identifying some measurable response that will alleviate our pain in the face of senseless violence…
Jesus, Easter, and the always-awesome “Office Space”
Once, when I worked at a job that had regular staff meetings that I quite abhorred, I found great and sacred solace in the profound film Office Space. How could it not provide a plethora of holy moments? Here, in this…
Steve Shoemaker resigns pulpit
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By Bob Allen The Charlotte Observer reported Feb. 20 that Stephen Shoemaker, senior minister at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., is resigning his pulpit in order to focus full-time on his recovery from depression. In his first sermon…
Our culture of violence requires adaptive change
I owned one gun in my life. It was a single shot 22-gauge rifle. My father gave it to me when I was around 12 years old. I sold it to a friend for his grandson 16 years later. In…
Lessons From Stone Mountain
It all started with my teeth. A couple of years ago I was reclining in the chair of my dentist, Dr. Uetsuki, waiting for the nitrous oxide to kick in. “Are you doing anything special for New Year’s?” he asked…