Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
From Tabgha to Nazareth
The third day in-country for Campbell University’s tour group (see earlier posts below) began with an early visit to Tabgha, on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Tabgha, a shortened Arabic version of “Heptapegon”...
Believe it or not
You can call me lots of things — but gullible is not one of them. I have never assumed that new products work as magically as the late pitchman Billy Mays said they did. One adage I've long taken to heart: "If it...
Baptist States Judged Poorly on Tax Laws
None of America's 50 states can completely justify their tax policies in light of biblical concepts of ethics and justice, concludes the latest article by a University of Alabama law professor. Among the worst...
Baptists: Muslims Part of Extended Family
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship just finished their annual meeting. These are moderate Baptists that for the most part broke away from the Southern Baptist Convention after that entity surrendered to fundamentalism....
When We’re Drowning in a Sea of Grief
"The Shack" by William Paul Young has sold millions. At the heart of the book is a pain so deep, so searing and disturbing, Mack, the book's main character, nearly goes mad in his grief. It's the pain of a parent who...
Many Pastors Grapple With Isolation
My colleague Mark Tidsworth recently posted a topic on the Facebook page for Pinnacle Leadership Associates that generated a lot of response. The topic was the loneliness experienced by many ministers, especially the...
From Beatitude to a Golden Calf
The sun rose July 8 as it does every other day, but for members participating in a tour of Israel sponsored by Campbell University Divinity School, it rose over the Sea of Galilee, and it was a beautiful sight. I doubt...
An Answer to a Troubling Question
This sermon was delivered by Wendell Griffen, pastor of the New Millennium Church in Little Rock, Ark., on July 5, 2009. Jesus could not work any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people by placing his hands...
Warren Addresses American Muslims; American Muslim Speaks to ABC-USA
Distance is shrinking between Baptist and Muslim leaders in America — faster than rank-and-file members realize. On a recent Saturday morning in California, a Muslim leader spoke at the biennial gathering of the...
Health Care Must Reflect Compassion, Justice
The crowd is great and presses in on Jesus. A father approaches Jesus with an urgent plea to heal his daughter. Jesus goes with the man to his house. On the way, a woman who has been ailing for 12 years gets close...
God’s Antidote for Tough Times? Sharing
The hopes and celebrations of the Fourth of July did not conceal the toughness of our times. Not even fireworks were considered immune from the cuts. People in the United States are learning painfully how to...
From Jaffa to Megiddo
Forty-two students, alumni, faculty, and friends of Campbell University Divinity School embarked on a tour of Israel July 6. For the next several days, I’ll be tracking our course along the coast, through the upper...
A blog about blogging
Online editor Bruce Gourley urged me for years to add a blog to the Baptists Today website. He found an ally when Tony Cartledge became a contributing editor.Tony had been blogging as editor of the Biblical Recorder in...
It Takes a Village
Sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, A.R., on July 5 2009. Ezekiel 2:1-5; Mark 6:1-13 He was starting to be a big fish, Jesus was, a big fish in a small...
Who Is This?
Sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, A.R., on June 21 2009. Job 38:1-11; Mark 4:35-41 For a miracle story, which is what this narrative from the Gospel of...
Faith
Sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, A.R., on June 28 2009. Psalm 130:1-8; Mark 5:21-43 Faith. Evidently, Jesus isn’t finding a lot of it right now, at...
Maybe the Church Needs to Lose Power
Jesus, I suppose, didn't think he was retaining his power at the expense of others. In his mind, I'm guessing, he thought he was doing a pretty good job of sharing his power with everyone who asked. After all,...
Conversation 101: Building Muslim Bridges
I wanted to write about the dialogue between Christianity and Islam, but that seemed wrongheaded because I have discovered that I do not dialogue with Islam in the abstract, but with humans in particular. I am a...
Jesus’ Call: Be Authentic Witnesses
In my last article, I described four misconceptions we often have about being Christian witnesses. As I stated, these are beliefs and methods that many well-meaning believers practice that, in my opinion, are misguided...
Birthing a New Nation
Sermon delivered by Keith Herron, pastor of Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo., on July 5, 2009. II Samuel 5: 1-10 On this weekend we’ve celebrated our nation’s 233rd birthday, the hard task of...
Can Sin Be Mapped?
Hot spots for the seven deadly sins — lust, wrath, envy, sloth, lust, greed, gluttony and pride — overlap much of the Bible Belt. Mississippi is lustful. Georgia is wrathful. North Carolina is envious. South Carolina...