BNG columnist Terry Austin, 72, died unexpectedly Sept. 22, according to a statement from the family. Raised the son of a Southern Baptist pastor in Colorado, Austin went on to become a Baptist minister himself, serving in both congregational ministry…
The Medieval Crusades, Billy Graham and American evangelicals
My earliest encounter with the term “religious crusade” probably goes back to junior high history. Still, I don’t remember the term being used much other than when Billy Graham came to town. He went from city to city, holding “crusades.”…
My obituary for the Baptist General Convention of Texas
Losing something that once was valued and respected is painful. It doesn’t matter if it’s been circling the drain for years. When death finally comes, the grief is real. Such was the case for me recently with the Baptist General…
Reflections on life in the ninth inning
No doubt, you’ve heard the legend about Yogi Berra, the famous baseball player who commented on the end of a baseball game: “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.” It seems Yogi had been to an opera or two…
An agnostic teaches us about Jesus
Nearly a decade ago, I had a pleasant surprise. I received an email from a friend I had not seen or heard from since the late 1960s. Charles lived two doors down from us, and we spent many hours playing…
50 years later, I’m still embarrassed to admit what a stranger at church taught me about being welcome
I’ve been interested in Mary Magdalene lately for some unknown reason. Hers is a fascinating story, and to be honest, everything we know about her would barely fill a small paragraph. Here it is: Mary Magdalene was a Jewish woman…
Three fatal flaws of the Christian faith
Christianity, as we have always known it, is in trouble. I’m not just referring to declining church attendance and survey numbers that suggest fewer and fewer people are interested. Although the spiritual need within humans remains strong, people are looking…
Does the SBC have enough sackcloth?
There’s a saying that’s been around for a long time that goes something like this: “God created man in his image, and then man returned the favor.” The suggestion is that our god is what we want him to be,…
Racism from the perspective of a white man
I frequently hear white people claim we do not have a race problem in this country, and to prove their point, they say they like Black people and even have a few Black friends. Even though they are aware of…
What is the gospel, or what must I do to be saved?
The answer to the great question of how to be saved was supposed to be easy. When I was a kid, they said to “invite Jesus into your heart.” It sounded good, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. To…
Where to see Jesus in suffering, even in the war in Ukraine
Tatiana Perebeinis was a 43-year-old accountant working for a California start-up company in Irpin, Ukraine. She became famous this week as her photo appeared on the front page of the New York Times. It wasn’t a flattering photo. Along with…
Whatever happened to Southern Baptists and church autonomy?
Neither one of us had a clue what we were doing 12 years ago, but a friend and I started a church. We didn’t know anything about starting a church, but we knew a great deal about church. Between us,…