The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 94
A denominational organization just endured a time of testing. Critics said it was “woke” and took money from a liberal icon whose name is anathema to conservatives. An independent researcher found that 98 percent of funding came from the denomination, and the remaining two percent from individuals, not including this icon. The charge couldn’t be proven, yet the charge was oft repeated. Of course, the accusation implied that contributions meant control. This episode brings up the age-old quest...
American Express launched an ad campaign in 1987 entitled, “Membership Has Its Privileges,” a phrase that found root in pop culture. I don’t think we’ve used the phrase in church, but we’ve traditionally said something similar. Evangelicals say, “Trust Christ, be baptized and join the church.” However, numbers of people today declare their love for God and attend, but may join the church later, or never. Studies show about half of American adults belong to a church, but a “significant...
I stopped by a fast-food restaurant en route to work lately and saw the line of cars around the building. I decided walking in for a morning biscuit would be faster. However, the lady at the counter said, “We’re out of biscuits and won’t have any for 20 more minutes.” I saw the biscuit-maker behind the counter who was working furiously, and I decided not to wait. Another gentleman in a work uniform walked out with me. He snidely said, “Who’s got 20 minutes?” “Right?” I said snidely back. I’v...
A local church is meeting elsewhere during renovations, and their electronic sign flashes, “Temporary worship.” It is only the next panel that tells the current location, so be patient! This made me think about temporary worship I was in for a few weeks. I was pastor at First Baptist Church, Selma, when we did some major roof and ceiling repairs. We asked (at the time) First Presbyterian across the street if we might use their sanctuary for the ten weeks. Our neighbors responded with kin...
It was a tradition I grew up with. On the second Wednesday the typical Bible study and prayer time was laid aside for 45 minutes of hearing reports and making motions—the Baptist business meeting. Sometimes it would be tedious and sometimes boring and sometimes contentious. I was a teen-ager when one evening the treasurer announced he wanted to purchase membership in a new box store where customers could buy in bulk. “The membership is $8,” he said, “but we’ll save that much on the first tri...
Those who follow a legend have a daunting task. Consider Joshua who followed Moses of whom it was said he knew God face-to-face! But Joshua had been a careful student learning from the mentor who instructed him. Joshua isn’t remembered as a lawgiver as Moses was. Not really a King John or Thomas Jefferson giving great legal documents, but more like Patton driving the German army out of North Africa. He would be the general who brought the people into the land of promise. Just before his death Jo...
It’s been my experience that funeral home directors generally have a great sense of humor. I asked a gentleman about this once and he explained that a sense of humor is the only thing that saved him from awful depression. I can imagine these men and women deal with the greatest of tragedies. But on the other hand, I’ve heard some interesting stories from them. One funeral home employee told me about trying to salvage a graveside service after several pallbearers were drunk, and one fell into the...
My neighbor stopped me to announce he’d taken up lawn care as a second job. He asked if I’d be interested in patronizing him. I’ve always taken care of our yard, without charge, but I know sometimes things happen on weekends, or I get rained out. “How much would it cost?” I inquired. “Probably about sixty dollars,” he said. I was shocked. The last time I priced lawns was when I was 12 or 13 years old. I mowed three yards in the neighborhood. Mrs. Harris’s yard was $6, Mrs. Herron’s was $4...
I was thinking lately about when phone calls were segregated by “local” and “long distance.” This segregation sometimes was strange, since I knew some who lived on different phone exchanges--when they talked, one paid a toll and the other didn’t. And then I remembered two incidents in churches when long distance charges became an issue. I served a church in Indiana while a student in Louisville, and we made the 75-mile trip every weekend. The nearest mid-sized town where the emergency clinic an...
Admiral James Stockdale faced the nation at the vice-presidential debate in October 1992. Businessman Ross Perot named him as his running mate, so Stockdale stood with Vice President Dan Quayle and Sen. Al Gore in Atlanta. When it was his first time to speak, Stockdale said, “Who am I? Why am I here?” This turned out to be a laugh line and parody, which is unfortunate. Stockdale was a decorated soldier who spent seven years as a POW in Vietnam. But his questions are good ones for us in the chu...
It was the closest I ever came to my “big showbiz break,” as Rush Limbaugh called it. I got through to Kit Carson, EIB’s call screener (after about 50 tries!). It was my birthday, so I hoped it would be a good ploy to get online with Maha Rushie. I also said I’d like to ask him about a book he talked of writing called “The Back Nine.” Screener Kit said they were jammed for the afternoon, but he’d call the next day. Alas, it was not to be since I never got the call-back, nor did Rush write th...
The presidential campaign in 1976 was a bitter one pitting the incumbent, Gerald R. Ford, against the challenger, Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter. Ford was named vice president after the resignation of Spiro Agnew, and became president after the resignation of Richard Nixon, making him our only unelected vice president and president. Within weeks of his swearing-in, Ford issued a controversial pardon for the former president. He argued the time for healing had come, and he didn't want to put the...
Social researcher Frank Luntz published “Words That Work” in 2007. He explained words have a denotative meaning, a concrete and “dictionary” definition, but also a connotative meaning since words can transport images to our minds. Luntz used three prime advertising examples. The alcohol industry changed their name to “spirits.” Many restaurant menus now have a “spirits” page and don’t use “alcohol” since it can bring images of darkness, drunkenness and despair. Spirits is a happy word that spe...
He’s a skilled college football player and a committed believer. He said recently he trusted God to help him score points on the field. It reminded me of a church member years ago who was exulting in his team’s victory the day before. The losing team missed an end-of-the-game field goal, and my friend said, “And the hand of God appeared and pushed the football to the left a few inches!” My friend was joking, but the aforementioned player was serious, I think. So, the question raised is how eff...
Dr. J.D. Gray served for many years as pastor at First Baptist Church, New Orleans. He often delighted in telling a Civil War story from 1865. The First Baptist Church, Columbia, S.C., was a seedbed for secessionists, so it was one of the first places Federal cavalry went when Gen. Sherman was busy torching Georgia and South Carolina. The cavalry officer asked a man in front of the church, who happened to be the church sexton, or custodian, if this were, indeed, the First Baptist Church. The...
She called to report the death of a lady in our former church, and I thought about several things. I was saddened to learn the deceased had been in declining health and in a care facility not too far away. I could have, and should have, found a reason to stop by to visit. I suppose we all have regrets thinking about people for whom we’ve lost touch. And it’s true that maintaining friendships in former churches used to be frowned on by some. I remember a minister from my teenage years who was rel...
I got a little good-natured blowback recently when I introduced the death angel to our congregation. I took as my text Paul's final visit with the Ephesian elders in Act 20. I extemporized about the uncertainty of life. The apostle said, "I will see your face no more." He had a premonition that chains and imprisonment awaited him in Jerusalem. Paul was, indeed, arrested in the city and Rome sent him as a prisoner to the capital. It was in Rome, we believe, he was killed at Nero's order. I...
My cousin laughingly told me about attending a product demonstration event years ago in Nashville. Reba Rambo, daughter of well-known Christian artist, Dottie Rambo, sang some of the new music along with the recordings the company offered. One of the numbers was quite lively, and Ms. Rambo began to clap to the music and asked the assembled ministers to clap with her. Someone in the front row refused and sat stone faced. Ms. Rambo stopped the tape and peered down at him from atop the stage....
The pastor search committee invited me to consider moving to their town and hosted a get-acquainted meeting with leadership. A man introduced himself, abruptly announcing that a staff minister needed to be terminated. He predicted this would be among my first challenges. I didn’t think more about this in the swirl of decisions we faced with the move. But a few weeks later the man came and renewed his commitment to fire the minister. From his position of leadership he persuaded other committee m...
It was a church slogan used in many places years ago: “The end of your search for a friendly church.” But let’s think about a new slogan: “The end of your search for a perfect church.” I remember a lady who presented herself for membership at the church I pastored at the time. I’d met her about two years before at a neighboring church when I led a Bible study. She came to us and quickly presented herself for membership, but from a different church than where we’d met. Thus she’d been a member a...
We grew up as high school friends and he became a music leader for church congregations. He told me the most embarrassing day was when he mounted the steps to the platform to begin worship, tripped and fell headlong onto the floor. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt, but there are better ways to begin worship. I thought of this lately when another pastor told a group of us about a famous pulpiteer from another generation who said as he mounted each stair that he would pray, “Fill me. Fill me,” besee...
A church friend travels the country transporting automobiles for car dealers and told me, “There’s no good way to get to Denver.” I think he’s right. We trusted the GPS and found ourselves amongst lonely Kansas wheat fields and windmills for many miles. Actually we intended to get to Denver in two days. Our son transferred there and asked us to drive his car. The first day was grueling as we drove from Birmingham to Tulsa. But then we learned the moving company wouldn’t arrive for another f...
January 12, 2025 - The Alabama Humanities Alliance honored writer Rick Bragg recently in Birmingham. In his dialogue with Roy Wood, Jr., Bragg mentioned that not everyone believed his writing to be good. Stephen King ripped him when reviewing his Jerry Lee Lewis biography for “The New York Times.” Bragg’s friend, the late Pat Conroy, called to encourage him. “Stephen King saying Rick Bragg can’t write is like Taylor Swift saying Patsy Cline can’t sing!” Conroy said. Stephen King is a great wr...
The recent memorial service for President Jimmy Carter reminded me of the time in 2004 that our history and collectors’ club president, Roger, invited me at our annual banquet in Americus, Ga. to sit to President Carter’s left at the head table. I was excited at this possibility and thought ahead of time what I might say. That evening our speaker was former White House drug czar, Dr. Peter Bourne, who published a biography of Carter in 1997. He sat to the president’s right and the two men conver...
I’ve seen a few incidents that make me wonder if it’s true football is a religion. At a funeral a few years ago I read a sign posted on the chapel door. It said, in effect, not to talk about the day’s earlier football game since the family had been busy and planned to watch the recorded game after the funeral concluded. I wondered who they thought might have stepped in to speak a word of comfort to the grieving family and brought up football, or worse, ribbed them about their team’s defeat?...
