How we see the world matters. Apologists point up the competing "worldviews" in an effort to both educate people "in the church" and reason with those "outside the church." A person may register for an academy to help them live out of a "biblical worldview." Whose "biblical worldview" do … Continue reading
A retiring school Superintendent once told me, "You cannot overcome heredity and environment." He expressed frustration in attempting to work with young people whose parents and social context distracted them from learning. How could educators expect to impact students who spend more time in adverse conditions? Countless parents asserted … Continue reading
Read MoreA church I pastored some years ago thought I came to fill the shoes of the previous pastor. In an awkward moment the church gathered around our family for prayer. One person, who either represented what Marshall Shelley would have termed a "well-intentioned dragon" or my own perception of … Continue reading
Read MoreOver the past five or six years we (many in our congregation) have observed the Season of Lent. Often I am asked why in a Baptist Church, and in particular a Southern Baptist Church. This is not a highly polemical piece. It is an attempt to see the Season … Continue reading
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Cordiality, Destinations and the pastoral pitfalls …
Read MoreMy mentor once quipped, "You are too nice." His reference did not imply the need to learn how to be "mean." Too often we assume the wrong opposite. Certainly context helps determine what may be meant. Hauerwas and Willimon refer to the same condition my mentor noted as "cordiality." … Continue reading