by Randall Balmer | Nov 21, 2023 | Feature|Opinion
In Plains, Georgia, in 1946, it probably qualified as a mixed marriage. The bride, wearing a knee-length dress, was a Methodist, and the groom, recently graduated from the Naval Academy in his dress white uniform, was Southern Baptist. That was the beginning,...
by Randall Balmer | Oct 27, 2023 | Feature|Opinion
When I was in ninth grade, my family moved from Bay City, Michigan to Des Moines, Iowa. As a preacher’s kid, I had grown accustomed to dislocation—changing towns, neighborhoods and schools—but this one was especially difficult. Ninth grade in Michigan was high...
by Randall Balmer | Sep 21, 2023 | Feature|Opinion
The act was brazen and according to the canons of the Episcopal Church, illegal. On July 29, 1974, eleven women gathered at Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia and were ordained to the priesthood. Or were they? At the General Convention in 1970, women were seated...
by Randall Balmer | Aug 15, 2023 | Feature|Opinion
Cards on the table. I’ve had a long and, well, uneven relationship with Christianity Today (CT), generally regarded as the flagship magazine of white evangelicalism. Founded by Billy Graham in 1956 as a response to Christian Century, Christianity Today aspired to be...
by Randall Balmer | Jun 22, 2023 | Feature|Opinion
Whatever you want to say about Southern Baptists (and yes, there’s a lot to say) they know how to stand up for principles. Opposition to sexual misconduct among prominent figures within the denomination? Well, no. Despite a damning 2022 report about pervasive sexual...
