In the News
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Mission Trip Spreads Harmony in Belington, published in the InterMountain.com, August 5, 2016.
“The Mission Trip became a yearly staple for Broadview church, Sandra Hill Gardner and her daughter, Susan Susan Gardner Mandile. As the years passed, more churches joined the mission and now, 20 years later, members from five churches representing three states make Belington their goodwill destination.”
“Hate has No Religion”, by our Intern Terry Jones, published in the Calvert Recorder, June 24, 2016.
“Make Religion Great Again?”, published in the Huffington Post, June 10, 2016.
We want to have heroes, and we want to remember the good times, but the times our Bible discusses were not idyllic, not even really good. The days of our Old Testament were rife with perpetual warfare and constant fear. Political and religious rulers held ordinary people as minions or slaves. The New Testament days were brutal and violent as well. Terror reigned via the perpetual threats of starvation, violent attack, homelessness, and extortion. Domestic violence and sexual assault were kept under wraps or perhaps were not even concepts.
Sorry to destroy that pretty picture. This is the complex and ugly reality of the models for family life in the Bible. Yet, this reminds us that referring back to history, including and especially Biblical and salvation history, without a critical thinking perspective, is dangerous, oh so dangerous. What, is at the root of the inclination to point back to idyllic, simple-sounding Biblical days as the ideal? Consider four interrelated motivations.
“Beware When Religion Makes you Feel Nostalgic”, published in the Baptist News Global, June 4, 2016.
Is the “cultural shift” really the enemy? The ability to invoke fear of change has produced great success at simultaneously generating fear of doubt and dissent, fear of sexuality, and fear of others and of difference….So-called cultural change is families wanting their children to know that regardless of their gender or sexual identity, they each fully mediate the presence of God. “Pastor,” they ask, “what does God say?”
“I Don’t Think we Can be Silent Anymore“, published in the Calvert Recorder, March 4, 2016.
“These are the kinds of things ordinary people can do to counter misunderstandings,” believes Rabia Zahir, volunteer at the Islamic Society of Southern Maryland. The key, she said, “is just communicating and knowing each other.” The February 14 gathering at the mosque in Prince Frederick stemmed from an outreach of Broadview Baptist Church and All Saints Episcopal Church, both in Sunderland, last fall. Youth from the two churches have developed a partnership and began telecommunicating with youth people from Amman, Jordan, talking about career goals and the role of religion in their daily lives. On February 28, youth from ages 12 to 18 were invited to join in one of these videoconferences with youth in Amman. Later that same day, Zahir led another interfaith community conversation about Islam.
“Calvert Churches Work to Expand Muslim-Christian Dialogue”, published in the Calvert Recorder, February 26, 2016.
“Out of all the texts that young Jesus could have chosen as his own personal mission statement, he chose the prophet Isaiah, who explains that God’s Spirit anoints Jesus to transform the lives of those who suffer the most. Our challenge today is to do likewise, to transform our community and world filled with anti-Islam rhetoric and violence.”
“Share Love with Islamic Faith this Valentine’s Day”, published in Calvert Recorder, February 12, 2016.
“Valentine’s Day causes us to pause and honor love. This year we think about love from a different perspective as we travel together to our local mosque in Calvert County, the Islamic Society of Southern Maryland. Over the past 15 years, and especially over this last year, hate speech against Muslims abound has abounded, and in some cases, this rhetoric has taught us mostly everything we know about Islam. So, on a holiday that otherwise can be kinda corny, we have serious questions about respect, mutuality, acceptance, and love.”
Reasons the Alliance of Baptists Gives Thanks: “Through the Alliance of Baptists, we discovered each other…”
“Being Alliance means our church reclaims Baptist rootedness in freedom of belief, the love of God for all, re-interpreting the Bible’s wisdom for today’s context, and a commitment to justice-seeking and community transformation.”
THIS is what a Minister Looks Like. Rev. Jenn talks honestly about what it has been like to be a frontier-setting Baptist Woman in Ministry:
“Broadview: Broad is our view of how, what, and who is sacred. We’ve a knack for recognizing and celebrating the sacred in the ordinary.” -Rev. Jenn
“The Question” of Advent: DCBC Weekly Meditation of the DC Baptist Convention
“Broadview Baptist Welcomes New Pastor,” published in the Calvert Recorder, October 2015: “Church-Beyond-the-Walls” Focuses on Spiritual Formation and Community Partnership
