Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Modern Christian purity rituals
By John D. Pierce Unlike Jesus, many modern American evangelicals — who at times feign affection for this particular first-century messiah — fear getting soiled by contact with those considered to be social, racial and...
Stranger Danger? Transforming Your Fear into Love
How do we respond to the company of strangers? Do we find ourselves enriched or threatened? In his book, "Practical Theology," Terry A. Velling writes, "Our English word xenophobia means 'fear of the stranger.' If we...
Creedalism vs. Confessionalism: Why You Should Care
One reason I am a moderate Baptist is to avoid creedalism. Let me define that - as it is meant by my fellow moderate Baptists (and some others). To me, to us, "creedalism" is the elevation of some extrabiblical...
January 19, 2018
White Supremacists Responsible for Most Extremist Killings in 2017, ADL Says (CNN) Trump Appointee Resigns Over Racist Remarks (CNN) Fusion GPS Glenn Simpson: Russia 'Infiltrated the NRA' and 'Targeted' Conservative...
Bipartisan Solution Needed to Keep the ‘Dreamers’ Alive
Immigrants play a central role in the biblical narratives. Abraham - the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - began his journey of faith as an immigrant dreaming for a better day (Genesis 12-23). After the death...
When We Denigrate Those Made in God’s Image
I teach citizenship classes. One of those classes focuses entirely on rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens. In my class, I especially emphasize responsibilities. I point out that the responsibility to use our...
January 18, 2018
Huntsville Church, Downtown Rescue Mission Filling Due to Cold (WAAY-TV, Alabama) State Senate Votes to Take Alabama Out of the Marriage Business (WHNT) Video of Deported Dad Saying Goodbye to Wife and Kids Goes Viral;...
The “Be nice” problem
By John D. Pierce Generally, most of us want to be nice — and are deemed nice. We care about people, respect their differences, and we seek to around nice people ourselves. Persons who don’t behave nicely in our...
Profiles in Goodwill: Frank Rees
Frank Rees is a Baptist pastor in Melbourne, Australia, and an associate professor at the University of Divinity. 1. Where did you grow up? The rural town of Moe, a poor industrial workers' town in Victoria, Australia....
Admitting Sexual Misconduct Doesn’t Merit Church Applause
I didn't realize it was strange to some Christians to clap in the middle of a worship service until I was 20. Clapping was an expression of gratitude common in worship services I attended as a child, especially at...
January 17, 2018
Why Trump Voters Need the Immigrants They Want to Turn Away (CNN) Rejecting the Religious Liberty of Slaveholder Religion (Sojourners) The Internet is Changing the Way People Feel About Religion (Live Science) Mormon...
Making Our Moments Count
By: Ginger Hughes As a mom, there have been moments where I truly wanted to stop time. Moments so special and so sacred, I didn’t want them to end. Moments where the slight weight of my newborn daughter was cradled in...
‘Why I Left, Why I Stayed’
Bart Campolo's story is well-known. Confronted with his own mortality following a 2011 bike crash that left him with a severe concussion, Bart - the son of evangelical icon Tony Campolo - left behind his Christian...
Websites, Facebook Pages Most Common Online Platforms for Protestant Churches
U.S. Protestants are increasingly using technology in their ministries, according to a LifeWay Research report released on Jan. 9. In 2017, 84 percent of Protestant pastors surveyed said that their churches maintained...
January 16, 2018
Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (WXIA) Thousands Gather in Memphis Where King Was Slain (San Francisco Chronicle) MLK Day: Pastor Denounces Trump Remarks With Pence in Pew (CBS7) In...
Handy-dandy guide for supporting a national leader who violates everything Jesus said and did
By John D. Pierce It may seem like a bigger challenge for fundamentalist ‘Christians’ than many have found it to be: claiming to be a Christian while supporting daily political offensives to the basic human ideals of...
January 15, 2018
Trump Will Start the End of the World, Claim Evangelicals Who Support Him (Newsweek) Mormon Approval of Trump’s Job Performance War More Than Any Other Religious Group in 2017 (Newsweek) First Baptist Dallas Pastor...
No, it’s not the end.
To my friends around the world: Yes, America appears to have gone off the deep end wearing lead boots. No, we are not going to drown, despite the rising waters of bigotry and greed. Yes, evidence continues to mount...
Martin Luther King Jr.: Cultural Hero and Theologian
Martin Luther King Jr., is a cultural hero, and deservedly so. His role in the long and arduous drama of the civil rights struggle is recognized and celebrated around the country and internationally. He is noted and...
‘Downsizing’
A first word: This movie is not like how it is advertised. It looks like a comedy, but the comedic elements are really more of the dark variety. You may have seen the trailer for this film and thought, "Oh, milk...
Conflict Drives 8 Nations’ Risk for Food Insecurity
Conflict has placed eight nations at either "high risk" of or "on watch" for food insecurity as 2018 begins, according to a United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) quarterly report for January to March...