Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I re-read King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Every so often I need to be reminded of deep truths so eloquently and timelessly expressed. King had traveled to Birmingham to lead a non-violent demonstration…
OPINION: Put your heart into it!
Recently, our staff was talking about things our parents would tell us that we find ourselves repeating to our children or ourselves. We had to admit that we increasingly sound like those voices we vowed never to imitate. Some of…
OPINION: A place for Panamanian pandemonium
This winter break I found myself in Panama with a group of seven individuals from Rock 17, the young adult group from Virginia’s Peninsula Baptist Association. Our travels were spurred by the partnership between Virginia Baptists and the Panamanian Baptist…
OPINION: Remembering a simple country preacher
Editor’s note: Susan Whitlow of Morehead City, N.C., who grew up at Kilmarnock Baptist Church, delivered a eulogy at the funeral of John Houghton Jan. 16. Houghton served the church for 35 years as its pastor and for years thereafter in…
OPINION: Football realignments and the church
Those who know me know that I absolutely love college football. I love the pageantry, the tradition and, of course, the tailgating. My most magical season reached its annual conclusion last week with Alabama’s rolling 42-14 victory over Notre Dame…
LETTER: BGAV’s action creates new Baptist challenge
The Baptist General Association of Virginia’s precedent in response to Ginter Park Baptist Church’s ordination creates a brand-new challenge for Virginia Baptists. In acting to “disfellowship” from Ginter Park over its decision to ordain a particular member, the BGAV has…
OPINION: Instructions on living a life
A short poem by Mary Oliver: Instructions for Living a Life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. I wonder what it would be like to live with this as a motto for my year. Lisa Cole Smith I sometimes…
OPINION: The Golden Rule and gun violence
A few days following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Richard Land, recent head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, was interviewed on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” The interviewer was…
WINN RECOMMENDS
N.T. Wright’s re-telling of the Gospels as the story of a new king who has come to rule over the world; a comprehensive survey of the concept of justice across both Old and New Testaments by Dale Patrick; and a…
WINN RECOMMENDS
N.T. Wright’s re-telling of the Gospels as the story of a new king who has come to rule over the world; a comprehensive survey of the concept of justice across both Old and New Testaments by Dale Patrick; and a concise introduction…
Johnson
Johnson
LEADERSHIP LINK: Are you sure you want to grow?
If deacons were surveyed, they would almost universally say they want people to join their churches. After all, reaching new people is one of our basic tenants as Baptists. We give much effort and even more lipservice to reaching new…