We seem to sing it better than we conceptualize it. We can muster a hearty rendering of “Holy, Holy, Holy,” probably pondering more about the “early in the morning” wording than the theological verities. I am speaking of the blessed…
The divine dance of the Trinity
Since the 14th century, the first Sunday after Pentecost has been celebrated in the Western Church as “Trinity Sunday,” presumably with the hope that one of these years we’ll figure it out. I’m kidding, but one of the ironies of…
Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit — Who? Me?
La versión en español está disponible aquí. Pentecost Sunday prompted me to reflect again in my personal relationship with the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. One of my first recollections dealing seriously and painfully with this doctrine happened in the…
The language of the Spirit: the way of love
How do you imagine the Spirit? The creeds speak of God in three persons, and the Spirit is often referenced as such. Some scholars note that the creeds meant something different than what we mean when we use the word…
It’s messy, it’s chaotic, it’s out of control — it’s Pentecost
Pentecost always seems like such a celebration at church. At our church everyone wears red, a sea of commonality for a change. Often we hear different languages and dissonant music; we celebrate baptism and hear the voices of our children….
It’s the Church’s birthday, not its funeral
I’m not going to tell you my age but not because I’m embarrassed by the number. I’m not that old yet. I’m only partly kidding. No matter what I have collected — a couple of degrees, student loans, a marriage…
2 Baptist groups, longtime friends, make relationship official
Cooperative and Progressive Baptists in Georgia have formalized a long-standing friendship, clearing the way for deeper relationships and shared ministries across the state. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia and New Era Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia — an affiliate of…
Do not despise the day of small things
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” … For whoever has despised the day of small things shall…
A birthday party on our deathbed: Pentecost and the Pew study
Last week, the Pew Research Center reported that between 2007 and 2014, “the Christian share of the population (in the U.S.) fell from 78.4 percent to 70.6 percent, driven mainly by declines among mainline Protestants and Catholics.” Evangelicals are in…