A Guide to Food in Southern California
Food and culture are inextricably linked. You can learn much about another’s culture by partaking and enjoying its unique delicacies – a simple bite of an unknown dish can transport you into a world that is not your own. Southern California and its urban centers represent a global population set in pockets of unique cultural […]
Reaching Men
Incomprehensible. That’s the best word to describe my response to the recent shooting in a Buffalo, New York supermarket. Reading the racist manifesto of the shooter leads me to another word—despicable. It’s hard for a person with so many non-white friends, employees, pastors, and fellow church members to understand—on any level—hatred directed toward African-Americans or […]
Defining a Caring Community
Baylor University recently chartered Prism, its first LGBTQ+ campus organization. As reported in a university publication, Matt Burchett, assistant dean of philanthropic engagement and senior director of student activities, indicated Prism fulfills part of Baylor’s mission to create a “caring community grounded on its Christian commitment, leading toward the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community on […]
Mission Trip Training
Suppose your church were planning a trip to Cambodia and developed a training program for the participants. Besides gospel-sharing skills, what cross-cultural training would you include and expect participants to put into practice on their trip? You would likely prioritize respecting Cambodians and honoring their cultural expressions. For example, you would learn something about their […]
Original Sin: American, Political, Theological
U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield made headlines recently when she testified at the National Action Network’s virtual conference that “the original sin of slavery weaved white supremacy into our founding documents.” Whether that claim is true or not—and/or to what extent—is not the point of this article. Of present interest is why original sin as a […]
Misinformation
We are drowning in misinformation and seem unable to swim to the truth. While politicians decry fake news, they also propagate it and relish its effects on their opponents and elections. Every day people are making life and death decisions based on what they read online from purported experts citing medical studies with obscure sources. […]
Preoccupation with Culture Wars
Southern Baptist churches, based on our baptism reports, are less and less effective at sharing the gospel in such a way people receive it and become Christians. The reasons for this vary from church to church, but there are some common problems which span geography, culture, and ministry style. This is the sixth installment in […]
Tolerance Undermining Persuasion
Southern Baptist churches, based on our baptism reports, are less and less effective at sharing the gospel in such a way people receive it and become Christians. The reasons for this vary from church to church, but there are some common problems that span geography, culture, and ministry style. This is the second installment in […]