Theology & Doctrine

The book of Ecclesiastes says that God has “put eternity in [our] hearts” (3:11). That means that on some level the Lord has given us the capacity to grasp the infinite.

If I say you’ve been “set apart” – that you are made to stand out in some way – how does that sit with you?

Seemingly contradictory qualities or phrases are what we call a paradox. These competing ideas are often as mysterious as they are antithetical. We remember the Great Depression. We crave jumbo shrimp. We talk about old news. We refer to leather as genuine imitation. On the surface notions, like these make no sense – or at least not in the way we initially suppose.

Empty – it’s not one of our favorite terms. It’s not one of our preferred greetings. When someone asks you, “How are you doing?” you probably don’t respond by saying, “Empty, thanks for asking!”

Sometimes we say that becoming a Christian is easy, but we forget that it’s also complex. Perhaps in wanting it to be easier, sometimes we have lost what it involves – confession, repentance and yielding to the work of the Spirit.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Jesus’ ascension has been celebrated in various ways by different Christian denominations. Some remember the ascension with special prayers and Scripture readings. Many in the high church tradition observe Ascension Day annually 40 days after Easter by extinguishing a candle that symbolizes Jesus’ bodily presence on earth.

I love hearing my babies chatter through the monitor after putting them down for a nap. One afternoon, shortly after sitting down with a second cup of coffee for a moment of rest, I heard my 2-year-old’s voice crackling through the speaker

As a professor at Carson-Newman I have taught the "collapse" principle to students for years. In the Judean wilderness in February of 2026, God taught it back to me.

History is replete with people who followed others to destruction and death. Leaders like Jim Jones of the Jonestown massacre, cult leader Charles Manson and others led many to disaster. Whom are you following?

NASHVILLE (BP) – The U.S. military’s strikes against Iran are morally justified, says a Southern Baptist ethicist and former Department of Defense official.