Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
4 Suggestions for Parenting in the Digital Age
More parents than ever are becoming accustomed to seeing the top of their teenager's head. That is assuming that the parent is looking up from their smartphone, tablet or laptop. We live in an increasingly digitally...
In Nigeria, a Mother’s Unparalleled Act of Gratitude
The knock on the door came too early. I could tell, without opening an eye, that it was barely daylight. The air was crisp and dusty - just as it should be in the northern Nigeria dry season. It was Saturday and my...
Surviving email …
Does email in your inbox multiply like rabbits? Do you ever sit down to work on a project, but find yourself, two hours later, still dealing with email? Email wouldn't be such a plague if were not also such a...
What Can Your Church Learn from America’s Cities?
Imagine a community in steady decline. There are fewer and fewer people and revenues are declining. Young families, especially, are missing. There is a constant chorus of longing to return to the good old days of the...
Scapegoating Just Isn’t What It Used to Be
I attended a recent lecture by Rabbi Reuven Firestone of Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, who spoke on the history and features of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. His theme was that both have their roots in the...
What Would It Look Like if The Church Repented?
A friend asked me recently if the corporate church had ever publicly denounced and repented of the sins of its past. I found this to be a novel idea, and I've begun thinking about the Christian church's collective sins...
Taking Sin Seriously: Damnation
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. March 16, 2014 The Second Sunday in Lent John 3:1-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him...
Growth Spurts
A sermon by Bob Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. John 3:1-17 March 16. 2014 Our attention turns today to one of the most familiar stories in the Fourth Gospel. It has been the subject of countless...
A Saving Mystery
A sermon by Michael Cheuk, Pastor, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va. March16, 2014. John 3:1-17 My name is Nicodemus. This morning, I want to share with you my story and my strange but memorable...
What Jesus Said…About Birth
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. March 16, 2014 Second Sunday in Lent Psalm 121:1-8; John 3:1-17 I rarely comment on television shows, and for a very good reason. While I...
What Kind of Church Are We Going to be?
A sermon by Michael Cheuk, Pastor, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va. March 9, 2014. Matthew 4:1-11 Whew! What an amazing couple of Sundays we’ve had! We dedicated eight babies and children, ordained...
The Devil Made Me Do It
A sermon by Bob Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. Matthew 4:1-11 March 9, 2014 Our attention this morning is drawn to the temptations of Jesus recorded in Matthew’s gospel. Matthew is not the only...
What Jesus Said…About Temptation
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. March 9, 2014 First Sunday in Lent Genesis 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11 What did Jesus say about temptation? Well, not much really, not...
Ukraine Crisis Needs Respectful Dialogue to Reach Peace
The crisis in Ukraine could be attributed to the lack of sympathy for democratic practice. Repeated fisticuffs in Ukraine's parliament were one indication of that deficit. Why was it not possible for the protesters on...
7 Lessons to Observe As You Prepare to Preach
I have learned many lessons over my past 50 years of preaching. Here are seven of the most important: 1. Confine the sermon to a text; limitation sponsors power. Water limited to the sluice of a hydroelectric generator...
Church Trends: What’s Trending in Local Churches?
The question "What is trending?" is now part of our cultural vernacular. Social media has transformed trend analysis into a moment-by-moment process through constant updates about the most popular topics appearing in...
Propaganda? Really?
While Russian president Vladimir Putin celebrates his success in taking Crimea away from Ukraine and using his bully pulpit to excoriate the West, Franklin Graham is endorsing Putin's campaign against...
Church Trends: Trends after the Trends in Faith Formation
Churches like trends, often believing that if they ride the wave of the latest trend they can become bigger, better or more relevant. In many cases this may be true but, as a Christian educator, I am more interested in...
Bethlehem Conference Challenges Narratives on Israel-Palestine, Christian Zionism
More than 600 Christians from around the world gathered last week in the Bethlehem to consider how to live out biblical teachings in today's Israeli-Palestinian context. On the eve of the conference's start, Israel...
The Place Where Racial Reconciliation Should Begin
Several stories about athletes being the target of racial slurs have arisen recently. In response, college athletics might assess penalties if certain words are used during a game. I applaud the governing forces for...
Church Trends: Using Social Media to Create, Sustain Community
Creating community is a central goal of the social media campaigns of Central Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS) in Shawnee, Kan. We seek to connect with the current learning community, prospective learners, alumni,...