While other major faith groups have recognized the need for clergy accountability mechanisms, Southern Baptists persist in denominational do-nothingness.
Rise up against Christian extremists
Thoughtful Christians can’t win the argument with hate-mongers simply by shouting them down. They must respond with loving actions that say clearly to Muslims that the extremists don’t speak for us. Where is the voice of the moderate church today?…
Keep the flame of liberty burning bright
The Founding Fathers gave us a bigger challenge than they realized. To work for the common good of all keeps the torch of freedom burning brightly. Nobody has expressed the essence of America more than the artist Norman Rockwell. His…
Real American exceptionalism
How do we hold a healthy distance between our patriotic pride and our Christian witness? It is sometimes not easy. Baltimore held a weeklong Sailabration commemorating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. Events involved tall ships, fireworks and great pride…
Preaching peace in a timid church
When ministers are afraid to speak prophetically about peace they fail to be a voice for the Prince of Peace. At the 2012 William Self Preaching Lectures at the McAfee School of Theology, “Preaching Peace in a Crumbling Empire,” Brian…
Evangelicals find “the heart of God” on immigration
American Evangelicals are gradually joining the push for immigration reform and the impetus behind this shift in emphasis is most apparent in Focus on the Family, a para-church organization founded by the controversial James Dobson. But Dr. Dobson has yielded…
Six assumptions that allow white evangelicals to flout biblical norms
By Alan Bean In The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement, Steven Teles describes how the conservative movement was able to undermine and largely replace what he calls the Liberal Legal Network (LLN for short). By the late 1960s, liberal…
Perspectives on immigration: safety and security concerns
The issue of immigration is a subject of discussion and debate within the Christian community. Followers of Jesus have diverse perspectives on how to address economic, security, and cultural concerns. Having shared in previous posts the primary points of diversity…
Dear Boy Scouts of America
Dear Boy Scouts of America: I hope this finds you well, though all the conversation in the media seems to say otherwise. You’re apparently between a rock and a hard place, at least politically speaking. You don’t want to alienate your base,…