I’m disappointed with the world. I really did not expect to be here as a 58-year-old man. Call it optimism, theological progressivism, maybe naivete, but I didn’t expect to be so disappointed with human beings at this stage of the…
My beef with the Senate confirmation hearings isn’t political, it’s theological
I try to stay abreast of current news, believing that Karl Barth’s admonition is a good measure for all who dare to claim time in any Christian pulpit. Barth is often quoted as having said that ministers should “preach with…
I’m late to Game of Thrones, but I recognize this talk of ‘the old gods’
After hearing so much ballyhoo, I finally broke down and started watching Game of Thrones. As usual, I am late to the party (GOT premiered in 2011). My wife has long refused to watch it, but I finally caved, so…
More people are moving to my city, but fewer are going to church
It’s like I don’t recognize my own neighborhood. It happened overnight. Who are we? Where are we going? What are we becoming? And … what’s next? I have been a pastor for two decades, and so much has changed in…
I’m weary of it all
Last week I tried to read Rick Pidcock’s post on the Thanksgiving Twitter war between complementarians and egalitarians, and I just had to quit. I will say more about Pidcock’s fine article below, but at the time I just couldn’t…
I want to experience Christianity much bigger than a shoebox
Every year about this time, old content from the Baptist News Global website starts lighting up, due to searches for “Operation Christmas Child.” As it turns out, people are not just searching these words because they love the program and…
Need good news? Here are 10 reasons to feel optimistic about church
I needed some good news. Working with congregations and clergy these days is often an exercise in encouraging the discouraged. And sometimes, even the encourager gets discouraged. Data, surveys, media and real-life experiences combine to paint a bleak picture for…
Eschew obfuscation
I’m not a bumper sticker guy, but mid-week after one particular Sunday sermon someone showed up in my office with a gift in hand, patterned on that sermon title: “Eschew Obfuscation.” You know: Avoid making things difficult to understand. I…
The church is called to die
The church my wife and I have served since 2000 was founded 70 years ago as a Southern Baptist mission, a church plant in a neighborhood that had just been converted from a dairy farm. The founding pastor understood his…