By Bob Allen A professor at a moderate Baptist seminary says some individuals within the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship are starting to sound more liberal than moderate, prompting others to worry the quasi-denomination is drifting leftward and away from its evangelical…
Seminary president fears liberal drift in churches
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention seminary president says he foresees a day when the six SBC-owned seminaries may for the first time be more conservative than the churches they serve. Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,…
Here am I, send me … anywhere but the ministry
By Blake Tommey If you grew up in a Baptist church during the 20th century, you can probably recite these words by heart: “As we sing our final hymn, you are invited to make a public profession of faith, to…
Why haven’t I seen ashes smeared on the steeple?
The ashes of Ash Wednesday mark our bodies with a deeply existential crisis: our death is unavoidable, even as we live. The ashes are dead matter smeared on our living bodies. They stir our imaginations of grieving prophets dressed in…
Using gender-neutral language for God
This month I am preaching each Sunday at the Rosedale Congregational United Church of Christ. The title of my sermon yesterday was “Good News of the Kingdom,” from Mark 1:15. Updated terminology. In the first part of the sermon I…
Salvation and shape notes
Six movies that tell us something about God
A different kind of Baptist preacher
Rev. Tim Sizemore’s deep southern accent reflects his Alabama roots. Tall, clean cut and blonde, with a wife and three kids, he fits the image of a white Southern Baptist preacher, living in the conservative central Florida town of Lakeland….