By Kyle Henderson My mother asked, “What’s that?” She was speaking to Dr. Warren Pulich, a renowned ornithologist and our teacher. He could identify almost any bird by sound. It was amazing. We could stand quietly in the woods and…
The power of a pamphlet
By Elijah Zehyoue Recently, I was in Colonial Williamsburg with the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty Inaugural Fellows Program. As a BJC Fellow, we got to spend the week learning about early America, religious liberty and, of course, Baptist…
Letter from a Birmingham intersection
**The author has been participating with QC Family Tree in tracing the steps of the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights Movement. Learn more about the trip here and here. Remembering that it happened once, We cannot turn away the thought,…
Bringing Scout out of the shadows of Atticus’s “selfie”
By now Harper Lee’s novel, Go Set a Watchman, released less than a month ago and the controversy surrounding it’s publication has become old news. However, I wanted to read the novel for myself before weighing in or making any…
Central Seminary seeks to foster racial reconciliation
By Bob Allen A pastor and seminary professor who organized a peaceful prayer response in Kansas City prior to the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Mo., last November is now recruiting communities of faith to host “prayer tables” intended to…
More than body cameras needed to stop police violence, Baptist clergy say
By Jeff Brumley Body cameras for police, it seems, are what the nation needs to ensure justice in the wake of last Saturday’s officer-involved shooting death of Walter Scott in North Charleston, S.C. Christianity Today published a story Wednesday citing numerous…
Making grace, not punishment, the default setting
By Amy Butler I think Michelle Alexander is a theologian. I mean, she’s a reluctant theologian for sure, but a theologian nonetheless. This is a designation to which, if you think about it, we should all aspire — both the…
The race problem: when you’re tired of eating elephant
By Starlette McNeill Someone asked the question, “How do you eat an elephant?” Someone else answered, “One bite at a time.” I don’t know who eats elephant or thinks that they can eat it all. I never have and don’t…
Ebola, race, marriage and Obamacare top stories in 2014
By Bob Allen Following is a summary of some of the year’s major headlines. Baptists and race. Will Baptists remember 2014 as a sea change in race relations? Fifty years after the civil rights movement and nearly 20 years after…