One of the best known “gotcha” moments in the Bible is when the rooster crowed the morning Jesus was crucified. All four gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — tell about Peter’s bragging the night before. When Jesus told the disciples they would be “scattered like sheep” (Mark 14:27), Peter swore he would follow […]
I am pro-life. That is why I wear a mask during this Covid-19 pandemic. The Bible teaches that life is God’s first gift to us. He calls us to accept it, to protect it, to nurture it. That understanding guided my teaching, preaching and writing about life for nearly five decades. It caused me to […]
Those arguing about the necessity of churches gathering together for public worship during the coronavirus pandemic would do well to remember that worship is a verb and not a noun. Worship is something one does, not a destination to which one goes. In John 4:24, Jesus said worship of the Father is done in “spirit […]
Most Americans are scared. Maybe that is too strong a word. Anxious might be more appropriate. But we should be scared. When medical experts predict that 2.6 million of us could die in the next few months if the nation does not take drastic efforts to limit the impact of the COVID-19 virus, that is […]
Stumbling down the street on this mid-July day was the most powerful man in the country. Yet, he was not dressed in the finery of royal office. Sackcloth covered him from head to toe. And instead of the sweet aromas of perfumes that usually dripped from his clothing, ashes fell from his body as baskets […]
It was passion for religious liberty that prompted Baptists from 50 nations to unanimously adopt a resolution condemning religious intolerance and religiously motivated violence during the July 7–12, 2019, Baptist World Alliance (BWA) Annual Gathering in Nassau, Bahamas. Baptists believe they should live in peace with everyone just as Romans 12:18 instructs. From earliest beginnings, […]
This Fourth of July country and western singer Lee Greenwood’s gravelly voice will be heard in every part of the United States declaring “I’m proud to be an American…”. But this year there may be fewer voices than ever joining him in that proclamation. A Gallup Poll released July 2nd found that less than half […]
Like most Christian mothers, Cathy was concerned about her children as they entered their teen years. She had participated in a dynamic church youth program that had been instrumental in shaping her Christian identity. She wanted something like that for her two children – Jim and Ann. But the church the family attended was a […]
By 1961 the nation had been in the troughs of the civil rights struggle for six years. In truth, the nation had struggled with civil rights since its founding, but the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott started an unprecedented chapter in this on-going struggle. On April 19, 1961, Martin Luther King stood behind the pulpit in […]
One of the major pieces of legislation approved by the Congress of the United States this year was the Farm Bill. Every five years Congress is supposed to reauthorize the Farm Bill, which subsidizes agriculture production in the United States and funds various food assistance programs. The debate over the Farm Bill was acrimonious. The […]