Tag: Christianity

America, Baptist life, Bible, Christian Nationalism, Christianity, Citizenship, Evangelicalism, fear, Immigration, Interfaith Dialogue, Jesus, Politics, Race, racism, reconciliation, Theology

Reading the Bible Amid the Culture Wars

Gary Furr

How we read it determines what we see, no? Part one of a four part series This article arose originally from a writing assignment from the Women’s Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is more than an irony for me that this assignment came even as Baptists were still reconciling their own painful history with slavery in the 19th century. As an ardent mission-sending organization, it is nonetheless a continuous wonder that the SBC was birthed out of a split in American Baptists of the Triennial Convention when a slaveholding Southerner was put forward to become a missionary … Continue reading Reading the Bible Amid the Culture Wars

Story

Squanto’s Kindness

Gary Furr

How can you not like the story of the Pilgrims?  They came to America to find freedom, we remember.  Religious freedom.  They were Puritan “separatists,” believing that the True Church must separate itself from the corruptions of the world, in particular the Anglican church and its state-supported status as an established church.  They were known as “non-conformists,” as in non-conformity with the state and with the book of Common Prayer as its guide.  As in, “Hey, one of us needs to watch for the sheriff.”  First they went to Holland, where there was greater religious freedom.  Amsterdam was a bit … Continue reading Squanto’s Kindness

America, Citizenship, Culture, Immigration

Strangers and Orphans

Gary Furr

The American religious experience has been shaped as much from behind as from before. What do I mean? I mean that we are a product of a powerful force born of people leaving some other place to come here. While they all left something looking for something else, their reasons for leaving and the circumstances they left were as diverse as their languages, religious backgrounds, and ethnic origins. According to Sydney Ahlstrohm, who was the pre-eminent American church historian of a generation ago, this was spurred by several factors. Some of this mass exodus was forced by untenable conditions elsewhere–like … Continue reading Strangers and Orphans

America, Christian Nationalism, Christianity, Citizenship, Culture, Ethics, Hope, hope, Humor, Jesus, Justice, Leadership, Love, Politics, Politics, reconciliation1 Comment

Chaplain of the Day

Gary Furr

When I was a pastor in South Georgia, our congregation had a member by the name of Senator Jimmy Hodge Timmons. He went by “Hodge” around the church, and he was our state senator  in the legislature and I think during his time he worked hard to be a friend of the community an effective representative. One year while I was there, Hodge came to me and invited me to be the Chaplain of the day for the Georgia Senate. This was an honorary event when you would come and offer a devotional and prayer for the elected representatives. It’s … Continue reading Chaplain of the Day

Story

A Reading List

Gary Furr

A friend asked me for some suggestions for a book club of friends who want to gather regularly and study some substantial issues together. Without disclosing that conversation, I simply share this list for anyone who wants it. I like reading lists of books others have read. I included some descriptions for most. See if anything invites you for a closer look. I have read these and they gave me important things to think about. Not all are recent. We are too accustomed to racing out to the latest latest thing. There is vastly more I could write about much … Continue reading A Reading List