Roger Williams agreed with the Puritan overlords of Massachusetts Bay on most points of doctrine, but when his thinking diverged from accepted orthodoxy, he said so. Plainly and without apology. In The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution, Peace and Truth are…
Roger Williams, the father of American deconstruction
If Roger Williams is remembered at all, it’s as a champion of church-state separation. In addition, a steadily declining circle of progressive Baptists honor the founder of Rhode Island as the original American Baptist. Both perceptions are a bit off-target….
To reclaim its role as community thought leader, the church must reflect on its action and its record
I was reading church minutes, bored out of my mind. Not the first time, nor probably the last. Then, I wondered: Why? Why was I so disconnected from what these markers of congregational history have to say? Perhaps some of…
Roger Williams, John Cotton and the future of the American experiment
In the fourth chapter of Luke, the devil led Jesus to a high place and “showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.” Next came the pitch: “To you I will give all this authority and their glory,…
What is a Baptist?
You must have a sense of humor to talk about being Baptist these days, with all the craziness associated with the word and with many Baptists today who are a contradiction to what “Baptist” has meant through the centuries. If…
Letter to the Editor: Advice from Roger Williams
Letter to the Editor March 15, 2022 Dear Editor: WOW! I had never heard of Voddie Baucham until I read about him this past week on BNG. This guy is nothing more than a sociopath. He needs to stay where…
On Roger Williams, freedom of conscience and its (sometimes well-intentioned) enemies
I don’t like being told what to do, think or say. You got a problem with that? I know that sounds excessively pugnacious and not very Christian, considering the ugly divisions and hatreds roiling Americans in recent years. But I…
Critical Race Theory, voter suppression and historical negation: The irony of it all
In his Key into the Language of America (1643), the earliest Native American/English grammar, Roger Williams, that colonial disquieter of the religio-political peace, described his experiences with the Narragansets and other Northeastern native tribes: They were hospitable to everybody, whomsoever…
Churches: Take the PPP money and walk
I think a decision not to participate in the PPP program would be a mistake. If your church does take the money, see it as an invitation to do more good in your community.