The rise of the Southern Baptist Convention out of the confines of its own walls into a major player in Western Christianity’s evangelicalism calls for a conversation. There were days when the SBC was all to itself, read only books from Broadman, |inline Read more

If you had the chance to have a few words with Hitler in the height of his fury, or with Stalin in the back alley of the Kremlin, or some other creep whose abuse of power was outrageous, just what would you say? And if you had the chance to explain to powerless Christians how to live under such a demagogue, what would you tell them? Peter had the chance to tell Christians how to live under Nero. Here’s what... Read more

Peter tells his powerless resident aliens and temporary residents to avoid fleshy lusty pursuits of power to get God’s will accomplished, and he also tells them to be good citizens. And he tells them that the day God visits will sort this all out. But what does it mean to speak of the “day of visitation”? What is your view — day of conversion or day of judgment? |inline Read more

Peter mixes the powerlessness of his readers, who were resident aliens and temporary residents — a social descriptor, with the challenge of bringing God’s redemptive work in Christ to Asia Minor and he begins by exhorting them to do God’s work in God’s way. And now he tells the same folks to be benefactors of the community. Yes, that’s right. Benefactors. |inline Read more