Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
BWA Leader Outlines Problem with Prosperity Gospel
The prosperity gospel has influenced a large number of Christians across a broad section of the Christian faith, according to Deji Ayegboyin, president and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Baptist Convention....
When Americans Surrender Privacy to Ensure Security
On the Fourth of July, we remember the birth of our nation and we need to reflect on the reasons our Founding Fathers broke with England and declared independence. The issues that led up to the break were many and they...
A taste of Jamaica
It's traditional for Baptists from the host country to throw a party for visiting participants in the Baptist World Alliance annual gathering, and Jamaicans know how to party-mon. Loaded onto minibuses -- with...
How Language Stopped Reinforcing Virtue, Faith
In my previous post, I quoted Amos Wilder's observation that "the language of a people is its fate." What we say and how we say it shapes our lives. That column looked at the growing acceptance on profanity and the...
Knowledge and Wisdom: Cousins, Not Twins
Knowledge and wisdom are related, but they are more like cousins than identical twins. Knowledge has to do with facts, data and skill; wisdom has to do with significance, purpose and intention. Knowledge is concerned...
Speakers Urge Baptists to Engage with Muslims
During the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, several speakers urged Baptists to understand and engage Muslims to advance the common good in the Middle East. The presentations...
Do U.S. Christians Not Know Limits of Just War Tradition?
In my previous article, I suggested (and I have developed this at length in my book "Who Is My Enemy?") that certain parallels exist between the Christian "Justifiable War Tradition" and the classical teachings in...
Prevalent Profanity Spawns Disrespect, Anger, Hostility
"The language of a people is its fate." So says Amos Wilder in "Early Christian Rhetoric." This quotation has bothered me for years. Maybe, virtues determine the fate of a people. Perhaps government or economy or...
Hatred, Bigotry Still Thrive Against Muslims
Yet again, middle Tennessee has made national news for another embarrassing episode of apparent bigotry. In a meeting in which a representative of the local Muslim community asked her community for an extension of...
Baptist Contribution to Understanding of Holy Spirit
Baptists, historically, are preoccupied more with Christology – doctrines concerning the nature and person of Christ – than with pneumatology – doctrines concerning the Holy Spirit. "Baptists have emphasized the...
Preachin in Jamaica-mon
Moneague Baptist ChurchSunday morning gave me the opportunity to visit Jamaica's hilly interior and preach at Moneague Baptist Church, described by pastor Delroy Sittol as "a rural church in a market town." Hill...
Theological educators deal with a changing world
Baptist educators involved in the training of future pastors and ministers face a variety of challenges as their institutions struggle to remain faithful, relevant – and solvent Representatives from each of the...
CBF Crowd Gets Sneak Peek at New EthicsDaily Documentary
Vernon Pittman witnessed grandfathers, fathers and sons go to prison during his three decades as a Texas correctional officer. Having retired as a prison warden, Pittman has set up a scholarship foundation for the...
Political Sleight-of-Hand Distracts from Weightier Issues
My son and grandson enjoy magic, and they're both pretty good at it. I'm a good audience for their sleight-of-hand tricks because I'm easily distracted by what one hand is doing while the other is doing its "magic." I...
BWA to Focus on Baptist-Muslim Relationships Again in 2013
Baptist and Muslim relationships top the agenda for global Baptist leaders who gather this week in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, for the annual conclave of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) – much as was the case at the 2012...
Can you say BICTE?
Day two of BICTE VII (the Baptist International Conference on Theological Eduation) focused on a continued discussion of Baptists and the Holy Spirit before turning to a discussion of ecumenical diaglogue and emerging...
Pneumatology and other stuff …
Like long acronyms? Try the "Baptist International Conference on Theological Education" (BICTE). It meets every five years (last in Prague), in conjunction with the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). This year's meeting...
Helping Ugandans Reclaim the Land Taken from Them
"Land is everything here," says Alex Vickers, BMS World Mission worker in Gulu, northern Uganda. With land comes the possibility of growing crops to feed your family and pay for your children's education. "If you have...
Demographic Changes Impact Religious Institutions
Demography, "the science of vital and social statistics," can help trend-spotters discern and explain many trends in American religion. A rule of concerned participants in religious groups where trends are more often...
Catholic Justices Break with Church’s Advocacy for Workers
A fairly strong case could be made that the principle of church-state separation was dramatically reaffirmed by the Supreme Court this week. Not that this principle itself was directly at stake. None of the justices,...
Unified in Christ
A sermon by David Hughes, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C. June 23, 2013 Galatians 3:23-29 If you know anything about the adventures of The Lone Ranger, you’ll appreciate the following story. One day the Lone...