By Wes Spears The latest book to cause a stir in the often echo chamber-like Christian blogosphere is Rachel Held Evans’ A Year of Biblical Womanhood. In it, Evans spends a year trying to live up to the supposed imperatives…
‘Complementarianism’ costs Cru director
By Bob Allen The director of University of Louisville’s chapter of Cru, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ, has been demoted after refusing to allow female staff to teach Bible studies to mixed-gender audiences. According to World Magazine, Daniel…
Keeping watch
By Molly T. Marshall I recently heard a child grumble: “Do we really have to celebrate Jesus’ birth every year? Isn’t once enough?” Some of us may echo this sentiment more than we dare to say publicly, especially as we…
A theology for worship announcements
A church member greeted me after a church service in my usual location, the back exit. I embraced her and wished her a blessed week. She had strange look on her face and said, “You know, I really don’t like…
James Bond’s gospel of resurrection
By Darrell Gwaltney The latest James Bond movie, “Skyfall,” delivers the anticipated Bondsian formula of chase scenes, exotic scenery, beautiful women and villains. It also delivers resurrection and a little classic poetry along the way. Bond, James Bond, is making…
Joy, joy, joy
By Amy Butler Lately, that vacation Bible school song “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart” has been running around in my head, and I can’t get it out. Remember the song? We learned it, I…
A spirituality of gratitude
By Molly T. Marshall Celebrating a college homecoming is an occasion for longing as well as gratitude. I returned to my alma mater, Oklahoma Baptist University, this past weekend to gather with the class of 1972. (My, they looked old!)…
The Gospel according to the Ewoks
Disney bought Star Wars for $4 billion! I simply can’t imagine $4 billion. I am confident that is enough to handle Han Solo’s debt to Jabba the Hutt. My first response was to be critical. Lucas had always said he…
In the same boat: Republicans and the church
Listening to all the soul-searching and finger-pointing among Republicans since Election Day reminds me of the conversations that have been going on in many American churches for several decades. The puzzling ingredient for both groups is demographic change and how—or…