Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
January 12, 2018
White House Does Not Deny Trump Used Racist, Vulgar Language to Disparage Non-White Countries (Think Progress) Baptist Church Fighting Deportation of Member With Dire Health Care Concerns (Baptist News Global) Guide to...
As Dow Soars, Down-and-Out Are Left in the Dust
The Prophet Amos condemned Israel's profiteering while the poor went hungry: "They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals - they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth"...
SSI Funding Puts Disabled at Risk of Homelessness
No safe, affordable housing was available in 2016 for people in the U.S. whose sole income was Supplemental Security Income (SSI), according to a report released in mid-December 2017. "In 2016, the average annual...
January 11, 2018
At First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Millennial African Americans Reflect on Social Justice During Trump Era (Afro) A Baptist Church in Nashville Inspires its Youth Group to Love the Bible – and Science (Nashville...
Profiles in Goodwill: Holly Hollman
Holly Hollman is the general counsel and associate executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. 1. Where did you grow up? Jackson, Mississippi. 2. What is your favorite verse, book or story...
Opioid Abuse Fuels Rising U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths
More than 63,000 people died in the U.S. from drug overdose in 2016, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on Dec. 21, 2017. This is an 11,000-death increase from 2015...
January 10, 2018
‘Devastating,’ Pastor Says of Church Custodian’s Death in Macon’s First Homicide of 2018 (Macon Telegraph) Trump Spiritual Adviser Asks Her Followers for Their January Pay ‘or Face Consequences from God’ (International...
Why Many Conservative Evangelicals Still Blame Victims
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was charged in 1921 with the sexual assault of actress Virginia Rappe at a raucous Hollywood party. According to investigators, the 266-pound film star attacked and raped her, ultimately killing...
Which Vocation Do People View as Most Ethical, Honest?
Nursing is seen as the most honest and ethical profession in the U.S., according to a recent Gallup survey, while highly positive views of clergy reached an all-time low. The survey asked U.S. adults to answer the...
January 9, 2018
U.S. Supreme Court Lets Stand a Mississippi Law Allowing Religious Discrimination Against LGBT Persons (NBC News) Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to Controversial Mississippi Law (Baptist Joint Committee) Low...
Maybe It’s Time for Your Church to Have an Epiphany
There are a whole range of special foci outside the big two of Christmas and Easter that can be included as part of regular "worship events." Epiphany (Jan. 6), Mothering Sunday (the fourth Sunday of Advent),...
Despite U.S. Wealth, Millions Face Extreme Poverty
Feelings of "American exceptionalism" remain strong in the U.S., but the nation has become exceptional in "problematic ways," according to Philip Alston, United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human...
January 8, 2018
The Museum of the Bible is a Safe Space for Christian Nationalists (New York Times) How Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Religious Ponzi Scheme Collapsed (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) FBC Dallas Pastor Says Americans Glad Trump...
Why ‘Evangelicals’ Lag Behind on Women Leaders – Part 2
Female undergraduates have expressed frustration to me over and over again about how Paul's writings about women have been used against them. "I hate Paul" is what many have said. Ideas about women really do matter, as...
Spiritual Reflections on ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’
The latest entry in the "Star Wars" canon, "The Last Jedi," is an entertaining visual treat. Although it basically follows the structure of "The Empire Strikes Back," it gives us as fans a solid second act in this new...
10 Personal, Professional Goals for 2018 – More or Less
The beginning of a new year is traditionally perceived as a season for clean slates and new beginnings. Depending on your perspective, you might consider the new year as a time to turn over a new leaf, to start that...
January 5, 2018
Profiles in Goodwill: Ferrell Foster
Ferrell Foster is director of ethics and justice for the Baptist General Convention of Texas' Christian Life Commission. 1. Where did you grow up? The Pleasant Grove section of southeast Dallas. 2. What is your...
6 Suggestions to Help You Engage in Social Justice
Powerful systems seem to be chipping away at those most vulnerable in the world. The Apostle Paul encourages the Christians of Ephesus to combat "rulers, authorities and cosmic powers of this present darkness"...
Why ‘Evangelicals’ Lag Behind on Women Leaders – Part 1
"I hate Paul." I can't tell you how many times I have heard that from female undergraduates. Young women scarred by how many times passages from the Pauline epistles have been used against them: women be silent (1...
January 4, 2018
None of America’s 100 Largest Churches are LBTQ-Affirming, New Report Says (NBC News) The NRA’s Assault on Christian Faith and Practice (Religion & Politics) Bible Giveaways End at Kansas City Elementary School...