Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
McCain Can’t Enter Promised Land of Presidency Without Miracle of Christian Right Support
The Republican Party is heading toward a spiritual smack down. In one corner are the party officials, waving the placards of pragmatic compromise. In the other corner are the conservative Christian leaders, holding...
Conservative Critics Lambast Gore’s New Baptist Covenant Address
Former President Jimmy Carter declared unanimous support for Al Gore's creation-care mandate in front a supportive audience of 2,500 Baptists at a luncheon gathering Jan. 31 in Atlanta, but not all response was...
Random acts of trashiness
During a weekend work retreat, I holed up in a modest condo at Myrtle Beach and devoted most of my waking hours to getting more than one lecture ahead of my students.The remainder of the time each day was spent raiding...
‘Juno’
"Juno" deals with the issue of teenage pregnancy, but it does so with a sense of pluck and humor. This is not an "after-school special" look at the issue. It has laughter and tears, which all pregnancies have. And it...
Scientists, Religious Scholars Reject ‘Intelligent Design’
An international group of scientists and theologians has issued a strong rebuke of "intelligent design," a theory that has gained ground with conservative Christians, especially in the United States. "We believe that...
Wall Street Journal Column about New Baptist Covenant Has Too Many Errors
What in the world was the Wall Street Journal thinking when it sent its "deputy Taste editor" to cover the three-day meeting of the New Baptist Covenant? That's right, "deputy Taste editor." So, what's a "deputy Taste...
SBC’s two-party system
A two-party system seems to be emerging in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The question is whether the two parties will be divided over Calvinism or a different issue — when/where to stop drawing doctrinal...
Worship in peace, count your blessings
I am reminded at least once every week that the ability to worship freely is a gift that many others don't enjoy.The reminder comes in the form of an e-mail from Forum-18, a religious rights watch group headquartered...
Washington Post Gets It Wrong About New Baptist Covenant
Does journalist Sally Quinn know enough about religion to co-moderate the faith discussion in the Washington Post? If the video conversation with Georgetown University professor Jacques Berlinerblau related to the New...
Christian Groups Call for Boycott of California Public Schools
Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum and an organization that advocates Christian schooling as an alternative to public schools are part of a new coalition calling on California parents to remove their children from public...
Reflections on a New Baptist Covenant
I was privileged this past week to participate in a truly historic event. Baptist groups from all across North America, even from around the world, gathered in Atlanta for a three-day show of Christian unity. The...
Can Baptists Bridge the Racial Divide?
As a person of color who attended the New Baptist Covenant, I was and continue to be a bit skeptical about the outcomes. I have learned in my 32 years of life how important it is for a person of color to keep his or...
NCC Heads Reflects on New Baptist Celebration
Among the thousands of Baptists at last week's Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant was a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister--Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches....
Evolution Weekend Aims to Elevate Discussion of Religion and Science
Evolution Sunday, an annual event held in churches the last two years to promote the idea that science and faith are compatible, this year is being expanded and renamed Evolution Weekend to make it more inclusive for...
Not happy? Get older
A line from an old song by Donovan says "Happiness runs in a circular motion ..."Actually, scientists say, happiness follows a U-shaped path. A recent study shows that people are happiest their younger and older years,...
Sacrifice Was Jesus’ Master Plan
Today is Ash Wednesday. It is a time to think of sacrifice. It is a time to think of willing sacrifice. We give something up; usually physical in nature to appreciate the sacrifice of the cross and to sharpen our...
Gilyard Pleads Not Guilty to Lewdness Charge
Former Baptist mega-church pastor Darrell Gilyard pleaded not guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct at his arraignment Tuesday in Jacksonville, Fla. Gilyard, who resigned Jan. 4 as pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist...
The New Baptist Covenant: What’s Next?
The New Baptist Covenant gathering in Atlanta exceeded all my expectations, and I hope it marks the beginning of a new day for Baptists in North America. I confess I drove to Atlanta in "observer mode." My inner cynic...
Practical ‘next steps’ for Covenant Baptists
The challenge in leaving a "feel good" meeting like the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant last week is knowing what to do now that it is over. The next steps are risky.If participants do nothing concrete, they risk...
New Baptist Covenant Celebration was Political, but not Partisan
Fifteen thousand pastors and laypersons representing churches across the land met last week in Atlanta under the banner of the New Baptist Covenant to offer a progressive voice for Baptists. All Baptists in North...
Living With Our Fallibility
It has been a pesky problem from the very beginning. Adam, who walked with God in the cool of the garden, could not follow one simple proscription. Abraham, called by God to be the progenitor of a great nation, lied...