This past Wednesday, United States immigration authorities arrested 680 undocumented workers in Mississippi in what Mike Hurst—the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi—said was the “largest single state immigration enforcement operation in our nation’s history.” As reports came in, it was apparent that this was something important. I live in Mississippi. I […]
Letter to white evangelicals: decision time (Erich Bridges)
RICHMOND, Va.—Dear white evangelicals: It’s decision time. You can’t pretend any longer that President Trump is not a racist. Evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. Any number of examples going back years should have tipped you off. Like when Trump launched his political career by falsely claiming that Barack Obama wasn’t born in America. Or […]
The Art of Pastoral Honesty (Adam Wyatt)
No matter where you pastor, you will have to navigate through difficult issues. A smaller church or a rural church can sometimes be more difficult because the difficult issues are much more entrenched in the church culture. If a pastor is going to navigate the issues and steer the church toward positive Gospel-centered change it […]
Don Currence: A Picture of Grace (CJ Adkins)
It was a perfect storm and Don Currence got caught right in the middle of it last week at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. The large deliberative body meeting in that historic city took important measures to deal with the heartbreaking issue of sexual abuse which tragically exist in some of […]
Misogyny in Baptist Higher Education (by Russell L. Meek)
May 4 was my last day at Louisiana College, where I had taught Old Testament and Hebrew for the past four years. I left because of how the school handled what seemed to me to be a clear example of the type of theological system that undergirds the current sexual abuse crisis in the Southern […]
Deborah: An agent of God’s compassion and deliverance (by Ashley Blosser)
Why is it that we only hear of Deborah during debates on complementarian doctrine? On the one side she’s held up as evidence that women are permitted to hold pastoral positions over men in the church, while the other side seemingly has no idea what to do with her. As one who has run in […]
The Fall of All the Mall Walls: Definitions in the Age of Social Media (Dean Treloar)
Recently, I was talking to a friend about a mishap he had experienced on twitter. This friend of mine, a pastor, was defending a biblical view on social issues when, presumably due to the language used, was miscategorized by a reader as being an advocate for a trending political controversy. The misunderstanding of tweets as […]
Above Reproach: A Study of the Ordination Practices of SBC Churches (Jason A. Lowe)
Note: This post provides an overview of the SBC Ordination Practices Report. You can download the full report here. “An overseer must be above reproach…” 1 Timothy 3:2 Southern Baptists, we have a problem. Actually, we have multiple problems brought to light by a recent investigation by The Houston Chronicle, which uncovered a horrific litany of sexual abuse […]
The Christian Effectiveness Officer (C.E.O.) (Clayton Pruett)
Over the last few years, a stunning shift has taken place in church culture. Successful, influential, and powerful pastors are being dismissed from their churches. Not for the typical moral failures or money scandals but for unhealthy leadership practices. Why has this become such an issue? Understanding the problem The simplified version is that decades […]
Perspectives from a Seminary Wife: Spiritual Growth, Academics, and Where the Church Falls Short (Rachel Reeves)
When it comes to involvement in ministry, church attendance, and overall biblical knowledge, I would venture to say that I would land with the majority of churchgoers, and many (specifically in the Bible Belt) would likely share numerous experiences with me. I was raised in church. My parents ensured that I attended, they were involved […]
The Church, the Gospel, and the LGBTQ+ Community
Following the special called General Conference of the United Methodist Church, Adam Hamilton, pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, held a discussion with his church about the future of Methodism. In the hour-long video Hamilton argues that the Bible contradicts itself on many issues and that it promotes views of marriage and sexual ethics […]
Addressing Abuse in the SBC: A Proposal (by Keith Whitfield & Malcom Yarnell)
Earlier this week, the Houston Chronicle published three articles – “Abuse of Faith,” “Offend, Then Repeat,” and “Preying on Teens” – concerning some 200 ministers in more than 700 abuse cases occurring in Southern Baptist churches over the past 20 years. These articles properly sparked numerous conversations about how Southern Baptists might respond both as […]