Back-Porch Theology

I was a hybrid United Methodist preacher among the Baptist Knights of the Long Table--that's what I called them, as they met every morning at Jasper's Porch Restaurant in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Theological questions were discussed that would've made John Wesley or John Calvin proud. Although Baptist, they welcomed me like the father of the returning prodigal son. Those breakfast meetings were more enthusiastic and beneficial than any seminary classroom I ever remembered. The discussions...