The Jan. 26 death of retired NBA star Kobe Bryant touched off a wave of public mourning that transcended social class and grieved many who aren’t sports fans. And that came as no surprise to Chanequa Walker-Barnes, associate professor of…
Super Bowl MVP offers key to survival for struggling churches, minister says
Leave it to a pastor to find encouragement for churches in a Super Bowl victory speech. That’s exactly what American Baptist Alan Rudnick does in his Feb. 6 blog post, “Churches, listen to Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.”
How Trump, Kaepernick and NFL inspire venom — and prophetic witness
When Texas pastor Freddy Haynes joined other ministers over the summer calling for a boycott of the NFL, it was to protest the league’s treatment of embattled quarterback Colin Kaepernick. But Donald Trump has pushed the debate, and the proposed…
Why do congregations keep firing their leaders?
In a recent conversation, a pastor whose father was also a pastor related to me this interesting observation. The elder pastor said, “In my generation, if you could really hang your hat on one or two aspects of ministry, you…
Violence and vengeance
Ray should not have hit Janay. That is one problem, and here is another problem. At first, the NFL suspended Rice for two games. Some people were really upset that it was too little punishment. After additional video of the incident was…
Send a message — don’t watch the NFL
By Michael Parnell The Janay and Ray Rice video shows what happened that night in February. It is clear that Mr. Rice punched his then fiancée so hard it knocked her out. The first video showed the aftermath of what…
Who does God want to win the Super Bowl?
I remember watching the pregame coverage of Super Bowl XXXII in 1998 and being shocked when a reporter asked Green Bay Packers’ defensive end and ordained minister Reggie White if he thought God wanted him to win the Super Bowl….
Don’t call your next pastor. Draft your next pastor.
The pastor search process might be a whole lot more fun (or funny) if it was run like the National Football League draft. Why go through months—even years—of searching for the right pastor when you just need to be ready…
The perils of being a Christian athlete
In an electrifying game the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers to become Super Bowl champions of 2013. As Baltimore holds celebrations for their winning sons, reporters will look to uncover any tantalizing details into strategy that won the big game. Case in point, The…