By Colin Harris The closing days of 2013 saw two more states gaining approval for marriage equality, bringing the total to 18, suggesting a clear political momentum that will not likely be reversed. Around and beneath this legal process has…
‘Duck Dynasty’ and the struggle over Christianity
By Thomas Whitley There is no such thing as Christianity. Let me repeat myself so you know I really meant to say it: There is no such thing as Christianity. What we have instead are reifications and definitions. As with…
‘Duck Dynasty’ and the struggle over Christianity
By Thomas Whitley There is no such thing as Christianity. Let me repeat myself so you know I really meant to say it: There is no such thing as Christianity. What we have instead are reifications and definitions. As with…
The spiritual test the church is failing
By Trey Lyon A recent study reported last week in ABPnews pointed to a growing gap in racial attitudes and experiences in the United States. This report was deeply disturbing, but not all that surprising, and I suspect the predominantly…
Baptist conservatives should celebrate their heroes quickly
According to a front page, above-the-fold, article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has launched a 12-year project that will see 69 heroes of the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention celebrated in stained-glass. This ambitious…
Advent: the scenic route to Christmas
In the 1970’s when Interstate 20 opened between Atlanta and Birmingham, many local residents were looking forward to faster travel on the new freeway. For years, my family had traveled to Birmingham from Anniston on old highway 78, a two-lane…
Mary’s baby bump: a divine scandal?
Every year preachers try to make the Christmas story anew. How do you tell the same story in a different way? One angle that many try to stay away from is on Mary’s “situation”: an unwed mother who is pregnant. …
Practicing peace
By Brett Younger The tree in my living room, which went up the day after Thanksgiving, is starting to shed like Charlie Brown’s. I only enjoyed singing “Last Christmas (I Gave You My Heart)” the first time it came on…
Duck Dynasty, free speech, and persecution
By now you have heard about controversy involving ‘Duck Dynasty’ A&E star Phil Robertson. Robertson, recently spoke to GQ about his personal beliefs: Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there… Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman…