Thinking Critically . . . Acting Faithfully
Bill Jones muses about Baptists, faith, ethics, justice, politics . . . and more
On a Sunday morning in March 2003, on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq, I experienced the worst moment in my (then) 42 years as a professing Christian and 52 years spent in Baptist churches, from cradle roll to adult. My wife and I had been members of that particular church for over Read more . . .
“The devil sure got ahold of you!” – November 1970 “Bill, do you ever stop and pray for the president of our country or just complain about him? As Christians that’s our responsibility according to the Bible, or do you read it anymore? I can’t believe we grew up in the same church. ☹” – Read more . . .
As I watched the continuing Presidential Election 2020 saga Wednesday evening, I heard one network anchor declare that former Vice-President Joe Biden, with 253 electoral votes (at that point) awarded by some networks and 264 by others, was “standing on the doorstep of the White House.” At that moment, something occurred to me that I Read more . . .
When I woke up this morning, I had no plans to write a blog post today. Then I went to Sunday School (via Zoom) and heard one of our Wilshire pastoral residents, Ashley Robinson, share about the saints in her life on this All Saints Sunday. After Sunday School, Joanna and I went to worship Read more . . .
I plopped down in front of the TV this morning just as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) began speaking, and I watched him make his opening statement. I thought he hit all the right notes, especially regarding the Republicans’ hypocrisy AND especially, their intention to use Barrett to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, Read more . . .
I was barely into my sophomore year at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was a Monday, the middle of the afternoon, as I recall. I really don’t remember much before or during the tornado, except that it was unusually dark for an October afternoon; there was no light streaming through the windows of Read more . . .
Click here to read Part 1. Click here to read Part 2. Click here to read Part 3. Click here to read Part 4. It is obvious that you and I have very different lenses through which we view things like Celebrate Freedom Sunday, Mike Pence’s speech, and so forth. We apparently even have different Read more . . .
Click here to read Part 1. Click here to read Part 2. Click here to read Part 3. Click here to read Part 5. In your previous email, you took issue with my calling Celebrate Freedom Sunday at FBC Dallas a “political rally.” I watched the entire “service,” and maybe I should have added another Read more . . .
Click here to read Part 1. Click here to read Part 2. Click here to read Part 4. Click here to read Part 5. I was especially disappointed by your use of quotation marks enclosing the word “Baptist” as applied to Kamala Harris; then you made clear the reason – “her liberal political views are Read more . . .
Click here to read Part 1. Click here to read Part 3. Click here to read Part 4. Click here to read Part 5. Dear ————-, Your emails have left me a little puzzled. I appreciate your kind words of appreciation for Weekly Baptist Roundup. However, your request for “a balanced coverage of VP Mike Read more . . .