By Bob Allen Baptists in North Carolina opposed to ending the state’s ban on Sunday hunting got some accommodation in a compromise measure passed by the legislature that prohibits hunting with a firearm between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on…
The myth of the elite young athlete
I recently received an email from my brother-in-law that contained several video links. “Tell me what you think.” My brother-in-law wrote. I clicked and opened each link and watched my 8-year-old nephew goaltending a lacrosse goal. The video contained the…
Once among the healthiest of professions, clergy seeing spike in obesity
By Terry Goodrich More than a third of American clergy members are obese, with stress, longer hours, low pay and lack of self-care among the culprits, a Baylor University study has found. But the profession has some built-in prevention methods…
Why I’m NOT quitting Facebook in 2015: A response
Gary Taylor recently posted his full-page ad Don Draper style: this is the year he’s quitting Facebook. I want to persuade him to stay. Don’t go Gary! Gary worries that social media is putting us in a virtual world that…
Social media, Sabbath and silence: Three ways to counter misshaping cultural currents
The community group that I co-lead in our church has recently been talking about and experimenting with how to better spend our time and money on what matters most in God’s economy.[1] At this point, we’re not very ambitious, but…
The commandment (most) Baptists break
By Doyle Sager The brilliant composer and musician Mozart once said, “I can tell a good musician by the way he plays the rests.” What an amazing insight. Mozart knew that the rests are what give the composition structure. The…
Missed church last Sunday? What do you need to do?
An increasing number of people miss church on Sundays, or other times during the week when primary worship services or small groups gather. The average number of weeks active Christians attend church is decreasing. The benchmark of at least 48…
Shopping and the Erosion of Sabbath
I’ve grown accustomed each Thanksgiving to shaking my head in disbelief at how early stores open up the day after and how many people are willing to get up in the middle of the night to get the best deals….
Congregations need sabbatical and jubilee
Congregations need a hopeful learning season that will help them see the same things they have seen for many years in a different way. This gives them insight into what it will take to continually transform congregational life. Likely this…