Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
September 12, 2017
First Harvey, Then Irma: Is There Enough Help to Go Around? (Baptist News Global) Baptist Volunteers Assisting Florida Evacuees (Alabama Baptist) Houstonians Adrift in Their City, Trying to Call Somewhere Home (New...
Sermon stealing
The topic of pulpit plagiarism has been in the news since pastor Bill Shillady sought to capitalize on a series of devotions he sent Hillary Clinton during her ill-fated presidential campaign by publishing them...
Your Words Are Powerful; Use Them to Build Up
The adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me," is false. Words can hurt. "The pen is mightier than the sword," by contrast, is true. Words are mighty and powerful. Words, spoken and...
When People Talk, It Can Make or Break Your Church
Church people talk. They talk about all kinds of things: the pastor, her sermon, how many people used to be in worship, and what we ought to be doing but haven't yet. This kind of talk can be threatening to a pastor,...
U.S. Majority Don’t Use Internet to Access Religious Content
A majority of U.S. adults don't use the Internet to access spiritual or religious content, even though most believe the Internet exposes them to new perspectives. These are two findings in a Baylor University religion...
September 11, 2017
Immigrant Evacuees Weigh Safety, Fear of Deportation (PBS) Evangelical Celebrity Receives Backlash for Hurricane Comments (Newsday) Trump Pastor Paula White: The President ‘100 Percent is a Christian … a Person of...
Halfway to Hawaii
By John D. Pierce A very unique opportunity is available March 10-16, 2018 on the Big Island of Hawaii. It will be an adventurous week of exploring creation with a gifted astrophysicist. Paul Wallace, who writes the...
Opioid Epidemic Leaves Trail of Pain
A beautiful young woman gets the job of her dreams. A major airline notifies Rhonda she has been accepted as a flight attendant, and she goes out to celebrate, as anyone would do upon getting her dream job. The dream...
‘All Saints’
I am not a fan of "Christian" movies. Movies that have the pedigree of being focused on faith or Christianity turn me off. There is a sense within them that does not ring true with me. However, I found one that I have...
White U.S. Christians Continue Decline; Unaffiliated is Up
The percent of white Christians has dropped from 81 percent of the U.S. population (1976) to 43 percent (2016), while the religiously unaffiliated has grown from 7 percent to 24 percent over the same period. These were...
September 8, 2017
‘Trumpism’ and Fear of ‘Others’ Revealed as National Patterns in Baylor Religion Survey (Baylor University) Conservative Christians and Religious ‘Nones’ Fear Each Other, But it’s More About Politics Than Faith...
To Those Overlooked By The Church
By Ginger Hughes To those overlooked by the church, I see you. You look at this towering, stately building, standing proudly on the corner and feel nothing but cold, intimidation settle around your shoulders. I...
4 Ways Your Church Can Stand Against Prejudice, Racism
Race is one of the primary relationship issues in our lifetime and in our daily lives. Some of us lived during segregation. Some of us remember the first years of integration. We have personal experiences that have...
‘The Disturbances’ Documentary Now Available Online
"The Disturbances" is now available to stream online via Vimeo On Demand. The feature-length film shares a previously untold story of how Christian missionaries and local pastors saved lives amid a 1966 tribal genocide...
Why You Need to Open Up to Genuine Christian Friends
Three of my closest friends are in AA. Our relationship began when I visited the editor of a local paper. I wanted to place an ad in his paper for our church. He and I became friends. We coached Little League on the...
September 7, 2017
White Christians Decline in the U.S., But Still Dominate Republican Party (USA Today) The Stark Racial and Religious Divide Between Democrats and Republicans, in One Chart (Washington Post) In D.C., White Evangelicals...
Profiles in Goodwill: Alia Abboud
Alia Abboud is the director of development and partner relations for the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD). 1. Where did you grow up? Sierra Leone, West Africa. 2. What is your favorite...
The Unmerciful Servant Thrives in Our Government
Jesus tells the story of a man who is forgiven a great debt, but refuses to forgive a small debt in the parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35). The parable applies, unfortunately, to the way we often live...
The Spiritual Battle Goes On After Charlottesville
I thought that after two sermons that touched on the issue, and a column for EthicsDaily.com, I could talk about something else, at least for a little while. My church, Elk Creek Baptist, holds an 8:30 a.m. service on...
September 6, 2017
Robert E. Lee Descendant – and Denouncer – Quits N.C. Pastor Post Over ‘Hurtful’ Reaction to Speech (Washington Post) Williamsburg Baptist Church Promotes Diversity, Inclusion (Virginia Gazette) ‘Reprehensible,’...
What To Do When Confederate Symbols Can’t Be Removed
Teachers are often accused of thinking that education is the solution to every problem. While such thinking is reason to believe the truth of the old saying, "Every generalization is false, including this one," there...