Jonathan Waits unfairly criticizes me and the Baptist Joint Committee for not vigorously opposing what he considers to be religious liberty violations in connection with the implementation of the new health care law. Let me set the record straight. The…
OPINION: The pope, the world and our kids
The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. — The Lord of the…
OPINION: The pope, the world and our kids
OPINION: The pope, the world and our kids Michael Poole The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none…
OPINION: Are there membership boundaries for the Richmond Baptist Association?
At the March 19 meeting of the Richmond Baptist Association concerning Ginter Park Baptist Church, I spoke in opposition to the recommendation that was passed. The next night Beth Wright, director of the RBA’s children’s summer camp, spoke at our…
VITAL SIGNS: Cultivating a culture of call
Nearly all observers of the 21st-century church in America agree that the next generation of leadership is a cause for concern. Many write, blog, tweet and generally lament the state of leadership cultivation and training, or lack thereof. Far too…
OPINION: Drowning in process
Inspiration and passion are tricky things. We need them to create, to write, to have meaningful interactions with our family, our friends and our world. Inspiration and passion are key ingredients to making us feel alive. We are excited by…
TRENDING: What in the world are we doing in worship?
Mike Breen’s “State of the Evangelical Union” blog highlights a trend that should be part of every evangelical community. That is, how does worship impact mission? How do worship leaders function as mission leaders? Taken seriously, this conversation would affect…
OPINION: Baptists and Buddhists
The Richmond Baptist Association voted March 19 to maintain fellowship with Ginter Park Baptist Church, a church that recently ordained an openly gay man to the ministry. The vote was close — very close — but it was enough to…
OPINION: Worldviews and the contraceptive mandate opt-out
Having followed much of the controversy surrounding what has become known as the contraceptive mandate, I was at first buoyed by the news that the Obama administration was going to offer a rule change. The original mandate was and is…
OPINION: Graceful ears
Even before my hair started to go and betray me, migrating lower on my face and body while my head began to show through up top, my ears have always extended at a quite profound angle. They are, in fact…
OPINION: Yoga and a Christianity for the body
I’m no yoga apologist. In fact, my wife Miska does Bikram Yoga where they heat the room to 105 degrees and then strain, contort, sweat great drops of blood and try not to collapse on the floor for one and half hours….
LEADERSHIP LINK: How to make a hospital visit (or rather, how not to)
The following may be used as a role play during a deacon training period at a deacons’ meeting or a retreat. Sam Sickly has been ill for several weeks. For the past seven days, he has been in the local…