Lipscomb Lecture on Pacifism and Nashville Churches

2015 Summer Celebration

I’ll be presenting at the Lipscomb Lectures (Summer Celebration) this year again on an aspect of the history of Nashville Churches of Christ. As with the last two years, I’ll be presenting alongside John Mark Hicks, Mac Ice and Chris Cotten. The lectures are on July 2-3 at 3:00 pm with John Mark and Mac splitting the Thursday session and Chris and I splitting the Friday session. I’ll be talking on the subject of Pacifism and Nashville Churches of Christ between the Great Wars. Some of the other lectures will address the Nashville Bible School, Jubilee and the division over the Missionary Society. Both days of lectures will take place at the historic Avalon House (old Lipscomb house) beside the High School and across the street from The Well coffeehouse. The lectures are brief presentations (about 25-30 minutes) but high quality from some top scholars (and they let me join them too). If you can come, you are sure to learn some things and be encouraged by some part of our history.

The Church and Societies

I was recently reading Bainton’s Christian Attitudes Toward War and Peace, which is a history of pacifist thought within Christianity. In his chapter on Waterloo to Armageddon (19th century up to WWI), the following quotation caught my attention, especially as it … Continue reading →

Inferno Readings

Dan Brown’s fictional thriller Inferno uses Dante’s Inferno from the Divine Comedy as the basis for the main puzzle in the book. If you have read any of Brown’s books in the Robert Langdon series (Angels & Demons, the infamous … Continue reading →

Polk and McCalla

My wife and I are slowly making our way through biographies of the American presidents in successive order. Currently, we are on the 11th president, which is Tennessee’s own James K. Polk. For this biography, we are reading from The American … Continue reading →

Shacklett Church of Christ Preaching Appointment

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Recently, I had a preaching appointment at Shacklett Church of Christ in Kingston Springs on Highway 70S. It was a nice group and I was encouraged by worshipping with them. I managed to snap a couple of pictures while I … Continue reading →

2014 Lipscomb Lectures

It’s that time of year again. Lipscomb’s Summer Celebration is here. It’s what happens when a lectureship throws a party (ok, so the name makes me laugh a little). I’ll be speaking again this year on the history of Nashville … Continue reading →

Objections to the Herald of Truth

While there was a great deal of excitement over the Herald of Truth program, it was not free from opposition. In the 1950s and 60s, critics remained in the minority, but they were vocal and intense in their objections. If it … Continue reading →

Excitement Over Herald of Truth

As a followup to my last post of a letter received by my grandfather in 1970 from the Herald of Truth, I thought I might mention some thoughts on the program. It certainly played a prominent role in defining the … Continue reading →

Herald of Truth Letter

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I have been going through my files during the move, and I came across a Herald of Truth letter of my grandfather from 1970. The letter is from Batsell Barrett Baxter on behalf of the 5th and Highland Church in … Continue reading →

Daily Bible Reading in Greek and Hebrew

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One of the changes I made in my daily Bible readings this year is to include Greek and Hebrew readings on a set schedule. My plan is to read the Gospels in Greek this year and Genesis in Hebrew. I … Continue reading →

MLK Jr on Nonviolent Resistance

In a 1957 article for the Christian Century entitled Nonviolence and Racial Justice, King briefly traces the history of African Americans in this country from their first arrival as slaves in 1619 to the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. He further … Continue reading →

FEW Jr on Church and Home

Foy E. Wallace, Jr. was forcefully making a cogent, non-institutional argument before widespread debating on the issue took place. He wasn’t the first, but he probably honed and articulated the argument as well as anyone else. He would later denounce … Continue reading →

History of Churches of Christ

One of my research interests lately has been to consider the history of Churches of Christ, particularly in the 20th century. Many people pinpoint their existence as a separate group from the Disciples of Christ in 1906, although they certainly … Continue reading →

Hello 2014!

Hello out there. It’s a new year, brimming with all the excitement of new prospects and new opportunities. Of course, every day the Lord gives us affords these things, but we seem to be a little more mindful about them … Continue reading →

Lord’s Supper Talk – 2 Ordinances

As Christians, we serve, honor, worship and give our allegiance to God, one God in three persons. We acknowledge that Christ, sent by the Father through the Spirit, is the culmination of God’s plan of redemption and the sole means … Continue reading →