This is the question Joshua Jipp asks in his book Saved by Faith and Hospitality. What do you think: Is it genuine unity achievable with diversity in your church?  Here are some opening questions of Jipp: Is it possible to have real difference and diversity in our churches without this leading to division? We all know that the church has been afflicted by all kinds of rivalries, schisms, and divisions. Peter Leithart states the problem well: “Churches are set up on... Read more

By Jimmy Adcox, Is there a secret to long term ministry? To be honest, I’m not sure. When people tell me I must have done a great job to be in one place for 40 years, I often smile and say, “They are just a patient group of people.” And they are! I certainly couldn’t have stayed without them! Longevity can be attributed to many things. Perhaps my roots run deep and I’ve just resisted change. When I seriously considered a... Read more

The word “book” in the post’s title is an intentional double entendre and a confusing one at that: we need the Book of Proverbs (that book) but as a book it represents the larger tradition of wisdom, and the other meaning of “book” is Tremper Longman’s new fantastic The Fear of the Lord is Wisdom. The two scholars of my age to whom I go when it comes to wisdom literature are Tremper Longman and Peter Enns. Longman’s written a commentary... Read more

From Roger Olson: Kudos to Southern Baptist Russell Moore (president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission) for his uncompromising condemnations of white supremacy (in a recent column in the Washington Post). (I still think he owes me an apology for inventing a quote about open theism and attributing it to me in the Baptist Press in 2002, but to dwell on that lapse of ethics now would be petty.) Rumor has it that the national executive board of... Read more

I had the opportunity a week ago to join a group of colleagues for breakfast with Tom McLeish. It was a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion. Later that day I ordered copies of Tom’s book Faith and Wisdom in Science (2014) along with his more recent Let There Be Science: Why God Loves Science, and Science Needs God (2017). Tom is Professor of Physics at Durham University. He is a theoretical physicist specializing in soft condensed matter – polymer physics. You... Read more

By Jeffrey D. Miller says No. On Miller, see here. Complementarian/egalitarian discussions and debates can be complex. Some involve arguments from the finer points of Greek and Hebrew. Others may require an understanding of theological themes that span the entire Bible. Still others require solid grounding in the social sciences. Because of such complexities, I find it refreshing when someone asks a question that is easily answered. The question that forms the title to this blog entry is just such... Read more

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. BCP Read more

I am saddened to hear that my friend Michael Cromartie has died of cancer. A noble life. Michael Cromartie, a Washington networker who helped rebrand America’s image of Christian political engagement, has died of cancer at age 67. The news of his death was reported Monday on Twitter and confirmed by colleagues at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), the DC-based conservative think tank where he served for more than 30 years. Cromartie brought Christian thought leaders and secular... Read more

By Jason Micheli Ash Wednesday Every Day – Romans 14.1-12 If you’re all caught up on Game of Thrones and Bachelorette in Paradise, and you’re looking for something new to watch, then I suggest you check out Stalker, a dark, dystopian science fiction film from the 1970’s. I discovered it on Netflix after I’d binge-watched all 7 seasons of Californication. Stalker tells the allegory of 3 men who journey across a post-nuclear wasteland. Shrouded in mystery, the character called Stalker guides two other characters, who are cryptically named Writer... Read more