In my experience the Christian faith and reading are inextricably linked. When I was a boy of eight growing up in Andalusia, Alabama, I would ride across town on my bike once a week to check out books at the public library. The idea of writing books was a dream that was nourished on those journeys. At the same time, I was hearing the gospel for the first time. I became a Christian when I was nine years old. My call to follow Christ was always a call to read and learn. Eventually, it became a call to write.

The two books that have most influenced my ministry are Fisher Humphreys' Thinking About God and C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.

Because my spiritual life and pastoral ministry have been shaped by the books that I’ve read, I think that writing is very important in the world of religion. A Christian who can not or does not read is denied a great pleasure and a great opportunity.

I became interested in writing as a teenager. I was privileged to have some wonderful high school English teachers who inspired me to read and to write well. That was honed by my theological mentor, Fisher Humphreys, who taught me how to write simple, clear prose.

I receive great joy in completing a well-constructed sentence. It is a privilege to share your thoughts and beliefs with another human being. Doing it in writing isn’t easy, because you can’t use facial expressions and vocal tone to influence the reader. When someone says, “You wrote what I believe,” that is very satisfying.

I grew up in a fundamentalist culture in South Alabama. When I graduated from college, I thought that I was through with fundamentalism. I couldn’t have been more wrong. My whole ministry has been forged in the crucible of fundamentalism within the Southern Baptist Convention. When fundamentalism reemerged in the church I had served for thirteen years, I knew that I had to try to help those who were being hurt, or at least perplexed, by fundamentalism.

I think Fundamentalism can help ministers know how to talk to their members about fundamentalists and fundamentalism. Further, it can help folks who are struggling to understand friends, workmates or family members who are fundamentalists. Also, it can help folks who wonder if there is an alternative to fundamentalism.

I am the senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas. Also, I serve as the Vice President of the North American Baptist Fellowship and chair of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s 2005 General Assembly Steering Committee.

I like to play golf, train retrievers, hunt ducks and quail, watch sports, and read. My problem is that I have too many hobbies.

I studied theology at Oxford University for three years and rowed crew for my college- Mansfield. I was a first-team All-State basketball player in high school.

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