Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Ten Commandments: On Hearts, Yes; Buildings, No
It's not uncommon for Americans to debate whether the Ten Commandments should be posted in public schools or on other government buildings. However, I'm much more concerned whether American Christians are posting what...
Muslim Stories About Obama, Seminary Leader
Sometimes it is so interesting living in America. Here's an example. Both during and after the presidential campaign, there has been a steady drumbeat of accusations that President Obama is a closet Muslim. Because his...
“Extremes too hard to comprehend at once”
The Book of Job has long been one of my favorite biblical texts. J. Gerald Janzen admires the book even more: he published a commentary on Job in the Interpretation series in 1985, but didn't stop studying and...
Setting good examples
(An excerpt from tomorrow's sermon at the First Baptist Church of Chattanooga, Tenn.)“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you." Isaiah 66:13Good parenting is a good example of a good God. Surely a...
Part 2: Baptist Tribalism – Pros and Cons
Given their unique congregational structures, Baptists have easily adopted tribal patterns for their ongoing solidarity. These can be based upon linguistic, cultural, regional or theological factors. For instance, we...
Funding Public Education is Vital to Democracy
On April 23, Sen. Tom Harkin announced at Jordan Creek Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa, that he was planning to introduce the "Keep Our Educators Working Act." The senator's proposal appears to be in response to...
Marching for Immigration Reform, Citizens’ Rights
Last Saturday, May 1, marked the first time that I participated in a march for immigration reform. I am Hispanic – a fifth-generation Texan of Mexican-American descent – and have no known family members living in...
Cryin’ in the Chevy
It was 7:40 a.m., sitting at a stoplight in Lillington, on my way to the office at Campbell University Divinity School where a pile of papers waited for me to grade them. My Prius is a small hatchback, so when a red...
Imagine
A sermon delivered by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo., on May 2, 2010. Revelation 21:1-6 Imagination is what the artists have on display at the Brookside Art Festival this weekend....
Life Giving Acts
A sermon delivered by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo., on April 25, 2010. Acts 9:36-45 Dorcas, or Tabitha, as she’s called in her Aramaic name (meaning, gazelle ), is called a...
Step By Step
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark. on May 2, 2010. Psalm 148:1-14; Acts 11:1-18 I’d like a show of hands of those here today who have the Bible memorized....
One More Thing
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., on May 2, 2010. John 13:31-35 A father who was terminally ill sent for his four children. The end was in sight. Would this...
What If…?
A sermon delivered by Howard Batson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Tx., on May 2, 2010. 1 Corinthians 15 Time out. Whoa, David. Stop. Stop. (Interrupted David at the organ) The words to the song, the familiar...
Baptized in Water
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on May 2, 2010. Matthew 3:1-17 Meditation Text: That day at the Jordan, standing knee-deep in the cold water, with John the Baptist drenching...
Pumping up the testimony
Back in the summer of 1976, Neil Heath (now my Macon, Ga., neighbor) and I were part of a team of students working at Bambi Lake Baptist Assembly in Michigan. One task was to assemble a large metal building — now used...
Baptist Organizational Leaders Voice Anxiety, See Abundance
Anxiety and abundance were two themes that emerged during a retreat of organizational leaders related to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, held at Callaway Gardens, Ga., at the end of April. Both outlooks disclose...
It’s OK To Be a Social Justice Christian
I am a social justice Christian. I declare this neither because I can say it better than others nor because such a movement needs my voice to be effective. I want to join a growing chorus of voices that can bring...
Part 1: Religious Tribalism – Pros and Cons
Religious groups in North America often behave like tribes, Baptists in particular. It's part of the unintended results of religious freedom. It can be both useful and destructive. A tribe is a type of kinship group...
A 98-point sermon
When the Southern Baptist Convention's "Great Commission Task Force" revealed a draft of its recommendations to the SBC Executive Committee in February, it sounded so preachy that my comments on it were entitled "Great...
Can Baptists Be More Open in Baptismal Practices?
I am the kind of Baptist who would like to observe and celebrate the Lord's Supper each and every time I worship with God's people. I am also the kind of Baptist who wants to experience greater unity and mutual...
Arizona Moves Immigration Reform to Forefront
Correction: The date of the march in the first paragraph after the quotation was incorrectly listed as March 16. The correct date of the march is March 21. "Yes, there is a place called America that still welcomes...