Blog Archives

Thais of the heart

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Rebecca Husband Maynard — 2 Comments ↓

A Catholic nun and a Baptist minister walked into a Thai restaurant. They sat down and ordered Pad Thai. Over noodles and conversation they discovered that, long ago and some 500 miles away, they were connected to the same roots. …

Why Pope Francis is good for Christianity

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Alan Rudnick — No Comments ↓

As Pope Francis starts his papacy, it is very clear that his leadership will set a very different tone for the Catholic Church. Upon leaving Rome, Pope Francis paid for his own room, rejected lavish apparel, and referred to himself more as…

Pope Francis and the Baptists

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Steve Harmon — 1 Comment ↓

I don’t think a day has passed since March 13 without a student, colleague, fellow church member, family member, or friend asking what my perspective is on the election of Pope Francis, especially since they know that I was a…

Reflections on the pope’s resignation

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Nora Lozano — 1 Comment ↓

Today was a good day, the kind of day that someone like me, an academician, would consider an ideal day. After completing my morning chores, I headed to the library of one of the local Catholic seminaries to get immersed…

Tagged with: Academia, B16, Benedict XVI, pope, Steve Harmon, Vatican
Posted in Ecumenical Leaders, Faithful Living

Prayers for the pope are prayers for unity

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Steve Harmon — No Comments ↓

The Pope has prayed for me, and following the announcement of his retirement at the end of the month I’m returning the favor by praying for him and the future of his office. Don’t get the wrong idea: Pope Benedict…

Why the Pope’s resignation matters to Protestants

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Alan Rudnick — No Comments ↓

Surprise and shock are an understatement when it comes to Pope Benedict XVI‘s resignation. Only a handful of Popes have called it quits. The Pope’s decision continues to spark speculation about who the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church will…

Tagged with: Alan Rudnick, Baptists, Catholic Church, missional, pope, Pope Benedict XVI, Protestant
Posted in Ecumenical Leaders, Religion

By way of ashes

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Julie Pennington-Russell — No Comments ↓

I was 24 and living in Mill Valley, Calif., when I first encountered Ash Wednesday. The Christian liturgical calendar had figured not much at all in my Southern Baptist experience to that point. But one February morning in 1983, spurred…

On a peace mission to Israel

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Alan Rudnick — No Comments ↓

In just a few days, I’ll embark on a peace mission on behalf of American Baptists to travel to Israel. This trip will serve as a good-will delegation to Israelis and Palestinians. In light of the recent conflict and violence,…

Tagged with: ABC-USA, American Baptist Churches, Baptists, Holy Land, Israel, Palestine, Palestinians, peace, Roy Medley, Telos
Posted in Ecumenical Leaders

Religious litmus tests

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Elizabeth Evans Hagan — 1 Comment ↓

American Christianity deeply troubles me. It’s not because some sociologists are saying that the influence and prominence of religion in American public life is declining. It’s not because more and more clergy leaders are leaving the ministry for less stressful…

Questions about Christian beliefs

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Fisher Humphreys — No Comments ↓

Not too long ago some friends at my church, Baptist Church of the Covenant in Birmingham, asked me if I would talk to them about five questions. I’ll respond to the first two questions in today’s post and with the…

Tagged with: doctrine, Hans Küng, Interfaith dialogue, love
Posted in Ecumenical Leaders, Faithful Living, Theology

On the edge

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Kevin Glenn — No Comments ↓

Not long ago I received two e-mails on the same day. One was from a colleague who copied me and other pastors in his reply to a message from Michelle Obama just before she spoke at the Democratic National Convention.…

Meeting God in Jerusalem

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Rob Nash — No Comments ↓

I write this from Jerusalem where I have had the privilege for some 10 days to participate in the first stage of the Christian Leadership Initiative, an intensive 13-month educational program on Judaism sponsored by the American Jewish Committee (AJC)…

Tagged with: Christianity, God, Islam, Judaism
Posted in Ecumenical Leaders, Missions

What’s your spiritual practice?

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Elizabeth Evans Hagan — 1 Comment ↓

Is our faith something we are or something we practice? Last week, one of the first questions I was asked at the Chaplaincy Institute for the Arts and Interfaith Ministries while attending a training in the art of spiritual direction was: “What…

Pockets of friendship: Three lessons for interfaith engagement

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Mike Smith — No Comments ↓

Editor’s note: This blog first appeared on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s blog site. It is published by APBnews with the permission of the author. By the time I took my first post-seminary post as a pastor, I wanted interfaith dialogue…

Tagged with: dialogue, interfaith
Posted in Ecumenical Leaders, Faithful Living