According to a front page, above-the-fold, article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has launched a 12-year project that will see 69 heroes of the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention celebrated in stained-glass. This ambitious…
What do Millennials want from denominations?
Associated Baptist Press writer Jeff Brumley recently posted an article responding to research by the Public Religion Research Institute suggesting that “the rise of religious progressives and a conservative decline presents a challenge to those in the middle, including moderate Baptists.” …
Do we need denominations in the 21st Century?
Those of us who worked in denominational roles in past years often referred to ourselves as “denominational serpents” rather than denominational servants, questioning the motivations of the bureaucracies that employed us. Being part of a denominational organization and seeing its…
To discern God in the world
As social media exploded with the news of the SCOTUS’ decision, I wondered how this decision would impact the national Cooperative Baptist Fellowship conference. Would the agenda change? Would speakers change their prepared manuscripts or would those conversations be saved for…
What kind of Baptist are you?
Do you know the story that periodically makes the rounds about the guy standing on the edge of a bridge ready to jump off to commit suicide? Along comes another person who engages him in conversation trying to get him…
CBF, a candle in search of darkness
Every good story needs an antagonist, a villain, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship story doesn’t have one. I was a graduate student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville when the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship was founded in 1991. I…
The Church and the U.S. Marines
Recently I’ve visited several churches. I’ve noticed something in common about all of them, and it’s something that is disconcerting for an organization whose primary purpose is to help people have a faith relationship with Jesus Christ. Here’s my discovery:…
Being a multi-mission partner church
When describing our church family at First Baptist Pensacola, I usually tell folks that we are a “multi-mission partner, multi-worship service, and multi-generational congregation.” Each of those “multi” dimensions presents a unique set of dynamics. Offering multiple worship services means…
When is a world organization not a world organization?
Several mornings at the Baptist World Alliance Annual Gathering as I arrived for worship, I picked up a headset to hear the English interpretation of worship that was held primarily in Spanish, but also in other languages. That had never…
Celebrating with Chilean Baptists is a moving experience
What do you do when— in what may be the only time in your life—Baptists from all over the world come to your country for the Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance? Chilean Baptists decided to create a moving…
BWA annual gathering is about relationships
On Saturday I left for Santiago, Chile to attend the Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance. I look forward to seeing current friends and making new friends from throughout the world. Periodically I am asked by a Baptist in…
Reflections on CBF General Assembly
It’s no secret that I’ve been a friendly critic of the apparent lack of clear direction afflicting the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in recent years. A challenging column of mine published in another Baptist news journal last year elicited everything from…