On this 4th of July weekend, I exhort you, American preachers, do not take Uncle Sam into the pulpit. Carefully consider how you plan worship for this Sunday. A good place to start would be: do not sing “America the…
Vital Christianity: As I see it
By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee Here on the eve of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly meeting in Atlanta, and with other national religious conventions recently in the news (for better or for worse), I choose to articulate what…
on she bears + self discovery
“(Elisha) went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, bald head! Go away, bald head!” When he turned…
Which six pastors best represent Baptist preachers? A review of Joel Gregory’s Global Anthology on Baptist Preaching
Four years ago Joel Gregory, Professor of Preaching at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University, was commissioned by the Baptist World Alliance to study representative Baptist preaching throughout the world. Talk about taking a bite out of an…
It’s not time
It must be nice to live in a black-and-white world in which people either embrace “evolution” (more on that in a minute) or are science deniers who are committed to a view of Scripture that is quaint but utterly foolish….
The problem of violence
I remember when the Columbine High School shootings happened in 1999. Schools across the country went into lockdown. Most of us were left mouths open watching news reports, trying to process and understand what happened and why. Schools and other…
A word for the graduates, part 2
As graduates around the country begin making plans for the next phase of their lives, it will be worthwhile for them to take some time to prepare for the challenges that will come with it. For Christian young people in…
Southern Baptists say Holy Writ, not Hollywood, proves heaven is for real
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution June 10 warning against books and movies suggesting that near-death experiences prove the existence of heaven or hell. A resolution on “the sufficiency of Scripture regarding the afterlife” says many…
A word for the graduates
June is traditionally the month when graduates are recognized. College grads have already walked the fateful stage and most high school grads either have or are preparing to do so. Major life transitions like this are often fraught with challenges…