The president of the Southern Baptist Convention has urged churches considering leaving the SBC to “press pause” until they hear from a new task force on cooperation that has not yet been named and will have less than nine months…
One name that muddles the debate over women in ministry in the SBC
Debate over the role of women in ministry in Southern Baptist life has resurrected the dead. One of the names most often tossed about this spring and summer as the SBC moved toward expelling churches that allow women to preach…
It’s time for Pastor Barbie
Before there was Barbie, there was Lilli. Lilli originated in 1952 Germany, just a few years after the end of World War II. The doll was introduced as a call girl, a comic-strip character in Bild-Zeitung, the newspaper in Hamburg,…
Rick Warren wants to talk about the Great Commission
Rick Warren thought he was going to be late for our appointment, but with good reason. The best-known pastor in America had been to the grocery store. He knows most of the workers there by name, but this checker was…
Given opportunity to affirm women in ministry, BGCT punts
The Baptist General Convention of Texas — once considered a supporter of women in ministry — declined to give full blessing to the idea when presented the opportunity at its annual meeting July 18. Motions affirming women in ministry and…
This church wanted an examination of its history, not just a coffee table book
The Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church didn’t want the typical chronicle or hagiography when it asked historian Andrew Gardner to write its congregational history. “And we didn’t want a coffee table book of nice pictures,” said Senior Minister Marcus…
Our common call: How historic Baptist theology affirms my call to pastoral ministry
I am more confident in my call to pastoral ministry because I know historic Baptist theology. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the common anointing for ministry are basic to Baptist thought…
J.D. Greear calls on Southern Baptists to slow down on constitutional amendment
A recent president of the Southern Baptist Convention published a 3,500-word explanation of why he believes the so-called “Law Amendment” is unwise, even though he personally agrees with the theology behind it. That amendment, proposed by Virginia pastor Mike Law,…
That’s not even the most interesting thing about me
I’m not usually the person who walks around every day wearing Pride merchandise. In fact, I tend to wear all black clothing the majority of the time, a holdover from the “emo kid” fashion influence of my teens. So standing…