In August 2011, I saw the Amazon River for the first time. It was while I was traveling from Lima, Peru, to Iquitos, a city of approximately 700,000 people located in the Amazon Basin of Peru. The city is surrounded by rivers and is only accessible by air or boat. Little did I know that […]
Your God is awesome. Your church is wonderful. Yet some of the guests who visit your church don’t return. No true connection was made. A parking lot greeter in our church expressed that concern: “We’ve got to figure out how to actually connect every guest with another person. Our polite hellos or glad-you-cames just aren’t […]
Editor’s note: Southern Baptist ethicist Barrett Duke offers guidance for churches after President Obama influenced the national drug debate by saying marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol. Baptist Press covered Obama’s comments and surveyed the push toward marijuana legalization for medical and recreational use. President Obama’s recent comments about marijuana are very troubling. Having […]
“Unfortunately, you’re not getting justice today. You’re getting the end of injustice.” Those were the words spoken by Texas State District Judge Mark Stoltz to James Lee Woodard when he was released from prison after being locked up for 27 years and four months for crimes he didn’t commit. Advances in forensic science allowed for […]
Looking out the window the first week of January, I watched as the snow and swirling wind around the house created an eerie scene. It was so cold that even the young at heart exercised caution. Some of our churches suspended Sunday worship. As a pastor, I always hated not having a scheduled service because […]
Americans by the millions tuned in to “Downton Abbey” at the beginning of its fourth season, eager to enjoy the continuation of the saga of the Earl and Countess of Grantham and their household. According to press reports, 10.2 million Americans watched the first episode Jan. 5, catching up on developments since the end of […]
(Editor’s note: This year, Southern Baptists will observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday on Jan. 19.) As we approach the 41st anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, churches in my tradition will observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. I hate that we have to. Let me explain why. Don’t get me […]
My work takes me to many cities. Some I like, some I don’t. But almost always I come home to find that I have been affected in some way by the places I have visited. I am not sure exactly what I was expecting when I went to Sarajevo. I knew that it was located […]
Editor’s note: We recently invited our readers to share their personal Christmas stories. Here is one of the responses we received. I learned a new name for God in December of 1983. My wife, Lisa, and I were newlyweds, and we had moved to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in August of that year. As Christmas […]
Editor’s note: We recently invited our readers to share their personal Christmas stories. Here is one of the responses we received. When our children were young, we had a Christmas tradition in our home. On Christmas morning, they would come and get in bed with my wife and me before going to the tree to […]