Foy Valentine and Phil Strickland – Their Prophetic Voices Still Sound the Call
by Bill Jones

(originally published 6/29/2011 on Texas Baptists Committed blog)

Two of our great Baptist statesmen shared a conviction that all believers are called to be prophets. In November 1987, Foy Valentine, longtime executive director of the SBC Christian Life Commission, accepted the first T. B. Maston Christian Ethics Award with a ringing address entitled Crying in the Wilderness: Streaking in Jerusalem: The Prophethood of All Believers. In November Read more . . .

OPINION: Growing up Baptist in a pluralistic world
by J. Zachary Bailes

(originally published 6/14/2011 on Texas Baptists Committed blog)

NOTE: This article was originally published on June 10, 2011, on the Associated Baptist Press Web site. Written by J. Zachary Bailes, an M.Div. candidate at Wake Forest University Divinity School and editor of the blog Crazy Liberals . . . and Conservatives In his Letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport, George Washington wrote in Read more . . .

OPINION: Don’t try to ‘fix’ women in ministry
by Laura Rector

(originally published 6/14/2011 on Texas Baptists Committed blog)

NOTE: This article was originally published on May 11, 2011, on the Associated Baptist Press Web site. written by Laura Rector, a Ph.D. candidate in Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California I’m in the bookstore at an egalitarian seminary. Unfortunately, not everyone there is an egalitarian. An older gentleman waylays me, finds out what I Read more . . .

Pentecost Yields an “aha” Moment
by Bill Jones

(originally published 6/12/2011 on Texas Baptists Committed blog)

This morning, we observed Pentecost Sunday in our church. The lectionary Scripture passage was from Acts 2. As it was read aloud from the pulpit, I was struck by one verse in particular. After the author (Luke, according to tradition) tells us that the apostles were “filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak Read more . . .

Of Slippery Crowns and Wobbly Thrones
by Bill Jones

(originally published 6/8/2011 on Texas Baptists Committed blog)

Last week, a prominent Baptist leader called Barack Obama “the worst president of the United States that Israel has ever had.” But that was only one of what I consider to be a series of careless, thoughtless proclamations. Here are a few of them: “The reason I am a social conservative is because I believe the Bible.” “President Obama and Read more . . .

Sometimes Just Being a Dad Is Enough
by Bill Jones

(originally published 6/6/2011 on Texas Baptists Committed blog)

My Father’s Day gift came a couple of weeks early this year – our son, Travis, got married last night, and I got a beautiful, sweet daughter-in-law, Christy. And the gifts just keep on coming, because our daughter, Alison, will be delivering our second grandchild right around Father’s Day. I daresay none of you fathers will Read more . . .