In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” Chaucer creates a king who, as punishment for an evil deed, is sent on a quest to find out what it is that women really want. He travels the entire land, asking women everywhere, and much to his discouragement, every answer is different. He is beginning to believe he will never learn the truth of what it is that women truly desire. Finally, he comes across an old mystic who reveals that the ultimate wish of all women is to dominate and rule over their husbands and lovers. In the end the king is forced to marry the old woman and, once he finally concedes … [Read more...] about What Women Really Want (Melissa Edgington)
Find Fresh Sermon Illustrations
I feel somewhat chagrined about submitting a post on sermon illustrations. How can the mundane task of sermon preparation compare with the exciting furors involving the latest convention news? Still, even the most exciting drama on television stops for commercial breaks. When I was a pastor, I estimated that I preached 46 Sundays each year. Our church also had Sunday and Wednesday evening services. So, that made for a significant preaching/teaching load in a given year, not to mention preaching year after year. When I studied at Southwestern Seminary my preaching professor, Dr. Al Fasol, … [Read more...] about Find Fresh Sermon Illustrations
Book Review: Together on God’s Mission, How Southern Baptists Cooperate to Fulfill the Great Commission by Scott Hildreth
Is our main channel of cooperation, the Cooperative Program, best viewed as (a) a tax on churches, (b) dues for membership in the Southern Baptist Convention, (c) an efficient and practical way of spending our money, or, (d) the primary means of expressing cooperation among churches, an important theological value and teaching? Scott Hildreth, Assistant Professor of Global Studies George Liele director of the Center for Great Commission Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, advocates for (d) in his new book, Together on God's Mission, How Southern Baptists Cooperate to … [Read more...] about Book Review: Together on God’s Mission, How Southern Baptists Cooperate to Fulfill the Great Commission by Scott Hildreth
Unconvinced by Bart Barber’s Case for Prioritizing Strict Immigration Enforcement
Yesterday here at Voices, Bart Barber wrote A Non-Nativist Case for Strict Enforcement of Immigration Law. There are several reasons I approached Bart’s article with a lot of anticipation. One of which is the huge amount of respect I have for Bart. Another is that he’s helped me think through immigration-related issues before (here, here, here, and here, for example) in ways that have been really, really helpful. But yesterday’s post left me scratching my head. It’s not that I think Bart is wrong in advocating for the principle of strict enforcement of immigration laws. I’m for border … [Read more...] about Unconvinced by Bart Barber’s Case for Prioritizing Strict Immigration Enforcement
Rescued from Politics, Refocused in the Pulpit
There was a time in my young adult life I was very involved in politics. VERY involved. I was a pro-life lobbyist in Kentucky. I worked long and hard for Jim Bunning way back when he was a congressman (even marched with him and his precious wife Mary in the March for Life in DC). Almost took a job in Senator Mitch McConnell’s office. Had numerous friends that worked in Washington congressional offices. Was partly responsible for starting a multi-county “Young Republican” club in Eastern Kentucky. While President of that YR club, I (along with my team) organized and hosted the Young Republican … [Read more...] about Rescued from Politics, Refocused in the Pulpit
Surgery Update on Dave Miller: Remarkably Successful, Doctors Highly Optimistic
We are so thankful to report that Dave came out of surgery tonight and all indications are that things went exceptionally well. I know he will be eager to write and thank you guys for your prayer an support as soon as the anesthesia wears off. We changed his password when he started threatening to live blog the procedure. We'll make sure all the medication is out of his system before he gets his login back. ;) Here's a summary of the report from Jenni: Dave got out of surgery about 6:10. They were able to do the laparoscopic procedure. They took out the mass and shaved a little off the … [Read more...] about Surgery Update on Dave Miller: Remarkably Successful, Doctors Highly Optimistic
A Non-Nativist Case for Strict Enforcement of Immigration Law
It is the major purpose of law to provide justice for people who are experiencing injustice. A law is a good law if it intends a just outcome. A law is an effective law if it actually accomplishes more justice than it causes injustice. Immigration law is no exception to this general rule. We have immigration law in order to provide justice to people and to minimize the level of injustice suffered by people. To determine whether our immigration laws are good or bad, effective or ineffective, we merely must examine how well they are accomplishing just outcomes for the people affected by … [Read more...] about A Non-Nativist Case for Strict Enforcement of Immigration Law
Blessed Messes
I was in the village of Kaliane in the Casamance, southern Senegal, on Saturday, February 24, and I began to feel horrible. It was an amazing day, actually. We had a couple of gatherings planned with kids, arranged by my translator Alioune. We showed up for the morning session and found about 30 children, most much younger than I had expected. I told them a Bible story and then shared the gospel with them. We walked back to Jean Batiste and Isabelle's home and came back in the afternoon. This time there was a slightly older group of nearly 60 children and young teens and I got to tell them … [Read more...] about Blessed Messes
To The Weary Pastor’s Wife
There is no seminary course or Scripture reading plan that prepared me for being a pastor's wife. Sure there were tools that I was given and questions to think through. My favorite were the statistics that talked about how hard this journey would be on my marriage, on my kids, on my own pursuit of Jesus. There were communication pointers and some wise words from those that went before me and somehow survived, but they didn't really expound on how deep the hurt and how hard the tension would be to do this thing well. How ugly the wrestle would be, and how many times the temptation to shrink … [Read more...] about To The Weary Pastor’s Wife
SBC Entities, Child Abuse, and Sexual Harassment
Our flagship and by far largest entity, the International Mission Board, published a statement on child abuse and sexual harassment. The board says, The IMB is committed to zero tolerance for child abuse and sexual harassment among our personnel. Further, the IMB is committed to communicating clearly and cooperating with our partners to guard against child abuse and sexual harassment. The policy provides that, IMB personnel are subject to immediate dismissal for such offenses. IMB will comply with mandatory reporting on such things. IMB has a dedicated phone number for reports of … [Read more...] about SBC Entities, Child Abuse, and Sexual Harassment