In a recent USA Today editorial by Oliver Thomas, readers are treated to a buffet of bad theological arguments and terrible handling of Scripture. To describe the article as sophistry is to give it a compliment it does not deserve. Thomas’s article employs a long enough list of discredited arguments that it should serve as an embarrassment to the author and to the publisher. The most pernicious of these arguments is that the New Testament affirms slavery. The argument has... Read more

It has become an unfortunate Easter tradition that the orthodox Christian faith will be questioned as to its truthfulness and authenticity while Christians celebrate the holiest of days. This Easter was no exception. What was exceptional this year was the source of the questioning. Serene Jones, the president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, was interviewed by the New York Times and made a series of provocative tweets about the nature of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.... Read more

The great American thinker Yogi Berra once said, “Predicting is hard, especially about the future.” I am reminded of that quote every time I read someone prognosticating about the future of the Faith. In a recent cnn.com editorial, Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons writes an article entitled “Christianity’s Future Looks a Lot More Like Lady Gaga Than Mike Pence.” In the article Graves-Fitzsimmons divides Christianity into two camps, progressive and fundamentalist. Graves-Fitzsimmons is a representative of the progressive side and believes in the... Read more

In the aftermath of the monstrous shooting at the mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand there was an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes to the victims, their families, and the nation as a whole. For people of faith, we naturally turn to God in the aftermath of such ghastly events. There, however, has been a move to stigmatize the saying “thoughts and prayers.” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) seemed to speak for many when she wrote, “What good are your thoughts... Read more

It was after the close of worship last Sunday. I was greeting the line of worshippers on the way out of the sanctuary when one of our dear members approached me. She had an issue with my sermon. “How am I supposed to love the person who attacked three of my friends.” The sermon was on Jesus’ Sermon on the Plateau* in the Gospel According to Luke. The focal text was Jesus instruction to His hearers to love their enemies.... Read more

  My soul is deeply troubled by the Houston Chronicle’s report of sexual abuse within the SBC. The news is shocking and shameful. The Houston Chronicle was able to document abuse of over 700 victims over the course of 20 years. This kind of abuse is antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and an affront to Christianity. Worse still, is that the report is able to make the case that the abuse is not a series isolated events. The abuse is systematic.... Read more

One of the great joys of my life is that I am the pastor of Rosemary Baptist Church. I received the call to serve Rosemary in 2009, and have had the opportunity to share the life of faith with the people of Rosemary since. The people of Rosemary do the work of discipleship quietly. They are not the type for grandstanding or for bragging. They simply serve God and love their neighbors regularly. Our people have given of their time,... Read more

Some things must be called by their name. The name of what has happened in New York is evil. On the 46th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the New York passed landmark legislation that would allow for the termination of a pregnancy up to the ninth month of pregnancy. The law would allow for midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to perform the procedure. The law even removes protections for babies who somehow manage to survive the abortion procedure. For... Read more

Two Days in the life of a minister. Day One: I was at my home relaxing for the evening when one of our church members who was a labor and delivery nurse gave me a call. Something had gone very wrong with a delivery and they needed a pastor. I went to the hospital as quickly as I could. When I arrived I was escorted into the room. There, in the little plastic post-delivery bed was a baby. She had a head... Read more

It was quite the scandal in our little community. A prominent businessman was accused of sexual abuse of a minor. The crime was alleged to have occurred many years prior to the reporting of the crime, so the case was going to be difficult to prove. As scandals go, however, the accused was ruined. He went from being a trusted and respected man to being a pariah. Of course, if he was guilty, ostracism was hardly enough punishment. The progress toward... Read more