Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Report: Global Malaria Cases Up for First Time Since 2010
There were 216 million global malaria cases in 2016, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released Nov. 29. This is 5 million more than in 2015, and the first increase since 2010 when there were 237...
December 12, 2017
The Evangelical Slippery Slope, from Ronald Reagan to Roy Moore (Los Angeles Times) Roy Moore Lands Neo-Nazi Endorsement Before Election for ‘Correctly’ Quoting Hitler (Newsweek) Evangelical Women’s Group Sidelines Roy...
Baptists Championed Religious Freedom for Everyone
The splendid surroundings of the Speaker's House in the Palace of Westminster in London were the backdrop for the launch of a report by the United Kingdom All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom...
Should Jerusalem Be Recognized as Israel’s Capital?
There are many different ways to approach what President Donald Trump did in terms of the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. What follows are some of the major issues that should be addressed by...
When You Pray With Those Who Are Suffering
I was in Myanmar last week with a group from Central Baptist Theological Seminary. We visited churches, the Kachin Baptist Convention, a camp for internally displaced persons, two drug rehabilitation centers, two...
December 11, 2017
Roy Moore’s Incredible ‘Even Though We Had Slavery’ Quote (CNN) Roy Moore and the Invisible Religious Right (The New Yorker) In Alabama, Evangelicals Weigh Good, Evil and Roy Moore (NBC News) Donald Trump’s Approval...
Why Some 15M People Have No Nation to Call Home
Stateless people are deprived of a nationality. They have been described as living ghosts who inhabit the world. The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) estimates that 15 million people in the world are...
Mideast Peace Undermined by U.S. Embassy Relocation
I am an evangelical Palestinian born and raised in Jerusalem. This influences how I see the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem, which President Trump announced on Dec. 6. I appreciate the president asking...
‘Lady Bird’
A college class on the psychology of family taught me a parent often has more trouble with a child of their gender. That dynamic is clearly on display in the wonderful movie, "Lady Bird." The title refers to the name...
A Reflection on ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’
"It's the most wonderful time of the year," according to the music blasting in the shopping mall. This declaration of the wondrous time of year was followed by the insistence that "All I Want for Christmas is You." The...
December 8, 2017
Lawsuit Alleges Decades-Long Molestation by Fundamentalist, SBC Takeover Leader Paul Pressler (Texas Monitor) Roy Moore and the Conscience of Conservatives (Real Clear Politics) A History of the Conservative War on...
The ‘Moore Effect’ Will Damage Credibility of Gospel
Alabama voters will choose their next United States senator on Dec. 12. Let me be clear: I'm not endorsing a candidate or telling readers how they should vote. Rather, I'm urging Christians not to disregard their moral...
Nations Support Refugees Just ‘Not in My Back Yard’
When we look at issues of migration and human rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), we see that there's still much work to be done on our part on behalf of immigrants and refugees. And today, it's...
Too Many Believe Climate Change Won’t Affect Them
I met a Texan who speaks regularly about climate change and has lived to tell the tale. With my John Ray Initiative colleagues, Margot and Martin Hodson, I attended an event hosted by Climate Outreach at St Mary's...
November 7, 2017
Jerusalem: Trump Move Prompts Negative World Reaction (BBC) On Jerusalem, Trump’s View Molded by Powerful Allies (WBAL) Christian Leaders Warned Trump Against Recognizing Jerusalem as Israeli Capital (Huffington Post)...
Profiles in Goodwill: Les Hollon
Les Hollon is senior pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas. 1. Where did you grow up? Boerne, Texas. 2. What is your favorite verse, book or story in the Bible? Why? Matthew 5:48 (in the Amplified...
10 Ways You Can Put a Dent in Human Trafficking
It is called "the door of no return." It is a chilling site. Goree Island, off the coast of Dakar, Senegal, is notorious for the slave house that was the departure point for many slaves headed to North America during...
Scripture Passage Doesn’t Ban Women Preaching
A Sept. 22 headline in The Telegraph proclaimed this: "Bible passage used to stop women become ordained 'added later,' academic claims." The academic in question is Philip Payne, who in the October 2017 issue of "New...
December 6, 2017
Alabama Church Under Fire for Comparing Roy Moore to Jesus (Huffington Post) Justices Sharply Divided in Wedding Cake Case (New York Times) Trump to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital, But Won’t Move Embassy...
Why We Need Advent This Year!
We desperately need Advent this year, more than any time I can remember. This season of waiting with expectation and preparing for the coming of Christmas offers a time for Christians to reflect upon our lives and the...
Why Baptists Should Be Advocates for Human Rights
Voltaire's formulation about the indispensability of God has been applied frequently to the United Nations, "If the United Nations did not exist, it would be necessary to invent it." The U.N.'s charter was signed in...