Barnabas File

I attended the memorial service today for Art Driscoll , a friend and mentor who helped me a great deal in my early days in collegiate ministry. Perhaps it was fitting that Art passed away on Memorial Day weekend. Art was a B-17 pilot in World War II, served as campus minister at the Universities of Oklahoma and Virginia, and worked for 20 years at National Student Ministries. He was in his early twenties when he entered the military. We forget how young these men were (my Dad was an "old man" in his unit since he was 28 when he was drafted!). Many of them left the senior prom and went right into basic training. They experienced conditions that most of us who served in subsequent conflicts did not have to endure. Their girl friends and wives heard from them only sporadically and had their own challenges to deal with at home. When they returned from the military, men like Art remade our society and had a significant impact on college ministry as they entered college wit...

My friend, Jerry Gaither, is a retired school administrator who has experienced all of the knocks and bruises that come from being a true "public servant." Some time ago, he shared with me a sheet he calls "An Administrator's Ethics Test." I think it serves as a good guide for any of us who are called to be stewards of other's resources. Here are Jerry's questions: Will I be violating board policy, the law, or the rights of others? Is it equitable? Can I sit down around a table and face all parties concerned at the same time? Does it promote wholesome relationships? Can I look in the mirror and feel good about myself? Is it explainable? In a clear and concise manner that the general public can understand it? (If you can't explain it to all concerned, it may be perceived as being unfair.) Will it leave me with a clear conscience? Will it make me proud? Will it stand the light of day--tomorrow, as well...

I like to read. At any particular time, I may be reading two or three books (some with more enthusiasm than others!). Over the past year, a number of the books I have been reading have been connected to the two seminary classes I have taught. Right now, the books I am working on are completely my choice. One that is going pretty fast is a new book by Oliver “Buzz” Thomas, a former Baptist Joint Committee staffer who now lives in east Tennessee. The book is 10 Things Your Minster Wants to Tell You (But Can’t Because He Needs the Job). Thomas applies sound biblical scholarship to such issues as “What About Women?” “Other Religions” and “Why are We Here?” The thesis of the book is that your minister would tell you about these things if you trusted his/her ability to understand and interpret the Word of God and were willing to be challenged in your own faith! I was attracted to Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why because of author Bart Ehrman’s person...

OK, I admit it. I watch 24. Although I have watched it on and off for several seasons, this is the first year that I have seen every episode (sometimes by recorded delay). I know it has violence and some pretty unlikely plot twists (who would have thought that Bauer's father would be the greatest threat to our national security?) and I know that many Republicans are fans, but it challenges me as it puts our hero into situations where he has to make some difficult choices. And quite honestly, his moral compass is usually better than the elected leaders represented on the show. As I watched the last scene last night (I had recorded it earlier in the week), it became clear to me that here was a man who needed some grace in his life. He started the season willing to die voluntarily to save his country after being held prisoner by the Chinese for years, he found out that both his father and brother were traitors, he rediscovered his lost love only to see her in a near-catatonic sta...

The CBF Leadership Team is meeting in Little Rock this week (this team includes state and regional coordinators as well as national coordinators). We spent some time today learning about two presidents. One is Dr. Fitzgerald Hill, president of Arkansas Baptist College, the only historic black Baptist college west of the Mississippi (founded in 1884). Dr. Hill spoke to our group this morning and hosted us for lunch on campus. The other president we had the opportunity to consider was Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the United States, as we visited the Clinton Presidential Center and Library. Hill, a former football coach, has a vision not only to revitalize a formerly declining institution, but to raise up a new generation of male African-American leaders. A committed father, he has rearranged his priorities to place his family first. He is a believer who is committed to challenging young men to grow mentally, spiritually, and physically. He presents his vision clearly, with ferv...

When it comes to Christian missions, we live in interesting times. I thought about this last night as I listened to a young American woman talk about the ministry that she and her husband do in southeast Asia (I will not refer to her by name or to the location where the couple works.) She is an articulate and attractive person who is using her creative gifts to reach out to people through a holistic ministry grounded in her Christian faith. Her parents have both been involved in Southern Baptist causes for years. This woman served with Cooperative Baptist missionaries in southeast Asia for two years after college. While there, she met a young man from another country working with an independent missionary agency. After her term of service, he came to the states, met her parents, they became engaged, married, and returned to their new home to work with the aforementioned missions group. To understand where we are in missions work today, let's get this straight. Here is a youn...

While listening to a call-in radio program on media censorship recently, I overheard a comment to this effect: "Having children is a choice. If you choose to have children, it is up to you to monitor what they see and hear." My immediate response to this was, "Really?" I think that the speaker might want to rethink this comment. What if we applied this to public education? Does the public have the responsibility to educate someone else's children? I have a problem with those who argue against support for public education with the comment, "I raised my children. Why should I have to pay higher taxes to educate other people's children?" I presuppose a couple of things. First, when we agree to be part of a society, we agree to accept certain responsibilities. One of those is nurturing an educated populace. You may call this social planning, but in frontier America the first institution planted after the church was (sually) the school. Why...