Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
“Is the God of Mohammed the God of Christianity?”
I watched and listened as a visiting missionary stood in front of more than 100 Liberian pastors during a question-and-answer session at the end of a three-day conference for rural pastors at Ricks Institute in...
Skype Interview: Greg DeLoach on Lent
Lent - a 40-day period prior to Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday in the Christian calendar - is being observed more often in Baptist churches. Greg DeLoach, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga.,...
Aspirations for the “Son of God” Diverge from Those for “The Passion of the Christ”
Christian aspirations for the movie "Son of God" differ strikingly from the Christian expectations for "The Passion of the Christ" 10 years ago. Hopes for the movie today are far more realistic – levelheaded,...
This thing called church …
Sometimes, less can be more. Recently I was given the challenge of writing a meditation that speaks to the church as a good gift of God for which we should be thankful. In 50-90 words. That's about three tweets'...
Baptists Helping to Serve New Ukraine
In a fast-moving situation at the weekend, Oleksandr Turchynov was selected by Ukraine's parliament to succeed ousted President Viktor Yanukovych. Turchynov had already been appointed speaker and deputy prime minister...
Phases of Jesus’ Ministry Reflect Our Own Lives
Christmas ended six weeks ago and Lent starts Wednesday. We are currently in Epiphany, the season of the church year in which we journey with Jesus through the three years of public ministry he had on the earth. Some...
Christian Meetings in 2014 Suggest Innovation or Stagnation
Christian meetings in 2014 disclose two trends. One is the predictable gathering with the same "old" programs and speakers. The other is passionate, content-rich events with much to celebrate and contribute. Dynamic...
One Truth at a Time: Teacher of Wisdom
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. February 23, 2014 The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany Matthew 5:38-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’...
Great Expectations
A sermon by Bob Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. February 23, 2014 Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 Do people know God better because they know you? As I pondered this passage last week, this question...
When God Interrupts
A sermon by Howard Batson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Tx. Luke 5:1-11, 27-32 February 23, 2014 Don’t you just hate interruptions? Finally, at last, on a Sunday afternoon, the weight of the previous week...
To Be Holy
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. February 23, 2014 Leviticus 19:1-18; Matthew 5:38-48 There is something in us that does not want to be holy. We describe God as holy, and...
Soiling good terms
By John Pierce Just when you think most of the damage is done there arises those who blend their narrow theology and narrow political ideology into yet another poisonous stew. Such mixtures have fed discrimination,...
Your Church Doesn’t Need Gov’t Approval to Fulfill Mission
A recent poll found that Americans, in general, and Protestant clergy, in particular, believe that religious liberty in the United States is on the wane. The poll, overseen and reported by Ed Stetzer, president of...
George Liele: Father of Baptist Missions
The name, William Carey, is well known as he founded the Baptist Missionary Society and preached his inaugural sermon in 1793. What is not equally well known is that another Baptist, George Liele, began his mission...
Where is Human Sinfulness Most Visible?
Where is the best place to visit to become convinced of humanity's sinfulness? One's answer would likely be determined by factors such as personal experience or definition of sin. For example, Walter Rauschenbusch,...
After Hardship, Algeria’s Christian Churches Bloom
For nearly 10 years (1991-99), the country of Algeria was plunged into a horrific civil war. The brutality was unimaginable as an estimated 60,000 to 200,000 people were killed. Ironically, few in the Western world...
God as Sister, God and Sister
Put "God" in a headline and we can't help sighting it. Neil Steinberg, columnist in the Chicago Sun-Times did so: "'Who's God but us?' Sister tells it like it is." My wife, Harriet, the monitor of syntax and scorner of...
The Church Addiction: Satisfying Our Own Egos
I visited an impressive coffee shop in a southern city recently and noticed a sign above the counter that said simply: "We appreciate your addiction." From the length of the line I waited in to get my cup of coffee,...
National Day of Unplugging Focuses on Rest, Relationships
"I unplug to __________." If you unplugged for a day and got off the grid, what would you do? Read? Sleep? Get outside? Catch up over coffee? These are some of the planned activities when people unplug from sundown to...
Georgia Bill Would Allow Concealed Weapons in Churches
Baptist ethicist Robert Parham caught my attention with an editorial following the Aurora, Colo., mass shooting on July 20, 2012. His observation that few faith leaders were willing to address an underlying issue at...
What Awaits Us After Death? Words Can’t Describe
Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross speculated in her studies of terminally ill patients that the dying go through five distinct stages of grief preceding their deaths – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and...