Barnabas File

My wife and I like to watch mysteries.  We have recently been getting up to date on Vienna Blood, a PBS series that features Max Liebermann, a young neurologist in early 20 th  century Vienna, who is a disciple of Sigmund Freud.  In addition to solving crimes with his police colleague,  Detective Oskar Rheinhardt , Liebermann is an advocate of talk cure or therapy—dealing with psychological challenges and trauma through conversation.   There are many ways to think of the situation that many churches find themselves in these days.  I suggest that one option is to think of the church as the victim of trauma.  COVID, financial difficulties, burned-out clergy, departing members—all are traumatic experiences that need to be processed.  One way to address these is through conversation.   As we engage in such conversations, we are not only hearing the personal stories of individuals, but we might very well be hearing the vo...

"In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists."--Eric Hoffer quoted by Jeanne Liedtka, professor of Business Administration, Darden School at the University of Virginia. Let me provide two disclaimers at the beginning of this discussion.  First, my undergraduate education was in History with a minor in Religion and Philosophy, so I have always been interested in the past and how we got from there to here.  I still think we need to understand the implications and lessons of our history in order to make good decisions about the present and future.  Second, I am currently blessed to serve as an adjunct faculty member for a theological seminary with many learned and gifted colleagues.  Most of their disciplines are thoroughly rooted in the past—theology, history, biblical studies.  Again, if we are to understand who we are now, we need to...

Women graduates of CBTS Tennessee "When the last days come,    I will give my Spirit    to everyone.    Your sons and daughters    will prophesy.    Your young men    will see visions,    and your old men    will have dreams.” These words from Acts 2:17 seem to have something for everyone, don’t they?  I thought of them today because this is International Women’s Day.  I understand that this is an artificial date on the calendar, but the day does cause me to reassess how far we have failed to come in providing women with the opportunity to use their gifts to build up the body of Christ. In my coaching practice, I coach several women ministers. Only one is a Baptist.  Two others were but they became weary of being told what they could not do and found a denomination that would let them do what they were gifted to do.  I h...

On Pentecost Sunday, our pastor preached on Acts 2 and challenged us to think of the world as a “God-filled place.”   Wherever we are, he reminded us, God is at work through God’s Spirit.   I was impressed by the message but also reminded that we seem to have a healthier regard for the Holy Spirit now than we did in the recent past.   I may be wrong, but my impression is that during much of my life, Baptists were reluctant to deal with the work of the Holy Spirit.   When the Spirit was mentioned from the pulpit, the point was to tell us what the Spirit did not do—lead us to speak in tongues, provide miraculous healing, etc.   Perhaps I have just become more teachable when it comes to the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church and the believer as I have seen the work of the Spirit in unexpected ways. Without an appreciation for the work of the Holy Spirit, we would have a hard time explaining the power and influence of scripture let alone it...