Opinion

(RNS) — In August 1619, “20, odd Negroes” in chains arrived aboard the English ship "The White Lion" in Point Comfort, Virginia, As we approach the 400th anniversary of that fateful day, Americans, our political and religious leaders are charged by the sacred text to complete the arc begun by the slave masters, redirected by the slaves themselves and crystalized by King.

To experience the Bahamas -- where this year's Baptist World Alliance annual meeting was held -- means more than just hanging out on the beach. This is a country, after all, where income inequality means most citizens can’t afford to spend a week at one of the lush resorts on their islands.

It is ironic, that Christians who denounce the prosperity gospel have in recent years touted its sexier, if subtler, form: the sexual prosperity gospel.

(RNS) — Despite our digital connectedness, Americans are lonelier than they have ever been in recent memory. Three of four report wrestling with loneliness, and one of the loneliest times in our lives is when we enter young adulthood.

Some time ago I answered a knock on our door and looked straight into the face of a friend. He said, “I was just passing by and thought I would stop and see you.” It turned out he was there on purpose, not “just passing by.”

(RNS) — The space program used technology to advance the cause of the human race. We should hold our technology today up to the test of whether it inspires society toward wonder, hope and courage or increases fear and insecurity about our shared future.

Over the past few years, some Christians have reduced the concept of religious liberty to merely serve as a counter-value to the rights of LGBTQ persons. This misinterpretation of what religious liberty actually means hurts the historic freedom to practice our faith.

The early church had everything to lose because of their faith in what they believed God was doing through them and what God was calling them to do. But they never gave up.

I believe — with my conservative Christian brothers and sisters — that Christians have an essential role to play in modern-day America and that the Bible has something to say about politics. To learn more I determined to go to a Southern Baptist church in Dallas on Fourth of July weekend.

It’s being as kind, gentle, and loving as possible when saying this: The Southern Baptist Convention is in a mess of its/our own making, and it’s time to move in a positive direction.