Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
NC WMU opts to go office-hunting
Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina (WMU NC) is looking for a new place to live following an August 16 vote by its executive board that was made public August 21 after a meeting between WMU NC executive director...
Life’s transitions go better with others
Last week, my early morning proofreading was being well enhanced by good hazelnut coffee and near-solitude when the exuberant foursome burst through the café door. Their boisterous laughter and matching bright pink...
Former Seminarian Sentenced for Sex Crimes
A former Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary student was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing several teenage boys he mentored while a volunteer youth worker at a...
Romney’s Low-Sacrifice Ethic Is So-o-o-o American Christian
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney disclosed a low-sacrifice ethic in Iowa that should raise more doubts about his qualification to be a president than his religion does. Given that his low-sacrifice ethic...
Unconventional Wisdom (Luke 4:23-24): Bible Commentary for the New Baptist Covenant
No doubt it has happened to you. You open your e-mail Inbox and begin to read. You cannot believe what you are seeing. Someone you believe and have experienced to be even-tempered and reasonable has sent you an e-mail...
Lay-led Church Conflicts Erupt in Baptist Churches
Two prominent Baptist ministers have come under fire in the last two weeks at large meetings of congregants upset over leadership style and financial management. Both pastors--one a conservative Southern Baptist...
The Virtue of Tolerance
Simple toleration of someone or some idea is not the ideal expressed in our founding documents. In America we don't promote tolerance among religions; we practice "religious freedom." Although I did not use the word...
‘Can You Hear Me Now?’ (Luke 4:20-22): Bible Commentary for the New Baptist Covenant
The question behind the question, "Can you hear me now?" is "What prevents God's people from really hearing God's voice?" Perhaps like those in the synagogue in Nazareth who longed for Jesus to deliver some anti-Roman,...
Dirty laundry, desperation, and the World Wide Web
Among the troublesome trends in Baptist life is the growing use of the Internet as a tool for airing grievances arising from church conflict. Church conflicts -- especially those related to the congregation's...
Standing up for others
Last Tuesday evening, my daughters and I witnessed baseball history when the Atlanta Braves hosted the San Francisco Giants at Turner Field. Maybe we should sell the ticket stubs on eBay.It had nothing to do with...
Gospel Jubilee (Luke 4:19): Bible Commentary for the New Baptist Covenant
A central question we must ask is: Does Jesus in fact say nothing about what form our economic relations should take as we are his church to the world? It might seen odd to begin a commentary celebrating new Baptist...
New every day
I like to think that every day brings something new for those who pay attention. Some days are just new all around. The past few days have been like that for me ... somewhere around nine months ago I agreed to leave...
Mountains in Every Direction
The 20th century began and ended with American Baptists struggling with how to implement a balance of independence and interdependence in a national organization that claims to be an expression of the Church of Jesus...
Baptist College to Start “Judge Paul Pressler School of Law”
Louisiana College, a school affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention, announced on Aug. 16 its plans to start a new law school to be named after Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler. The school, which will be...
Elvis’ 1977 death reminds me of a song
The 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death is being marked today, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007. That date in 1977 was on a Tuesday, however, I vividly remember.In those days, mid-August was still considered summer....
Pastor Wiley Drake Endorses Huckabee, Prompts Complaint to IRS
The religious liberty watchdog organization Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU) filed a complaint to the Internal Revenue Service on Aug. 14 charging that the Rev. Wiley Drake improperly used...
Good News for the Poor (Luke 4:18): Bible Commentary for the New Baptist Covenant
Poverty and wealth are always about political, cultural and economic relationships, and Jesus announces that he will bring a new relationship to the poor. Jesus' choice of biblical text acts as a declaration of purpose...
Trouble in Paradise
As in the case of the Northern Baptist Convention, the creation of American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. brought mixed responses: unrealistic expectations and fears. Old concerns continued. New ones appeared....
Pattersons Defend Homemaker Degree, Attack Critics
Paige and Dorothy Patterson defended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's controversial new homemaker degree on "Jerry Johnson Live," a Dallas-based radio program hosted by Criswell College President Jerry...
American Baptists Struggle with Reorganization
"There they go again!" American Baptists have just celebrated the centennial of the old Northern Baptist Convention. At the same time we are deeply engaged in yet another denominational reorganization. We seem to have...
We Gather Together (Luke 4:16-17): Bible Commentary for the New Baptist Covenant
Luke chapter 4 is our oldest account of a synagogue service. Luke is focused on portraying Jesus as the central figure of his narrative and he does not recount the entire service. Our other evidence does not clarify...