Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
5 Ways to Give Your Kids Something Great to Imitate
A young boy, probably 3 or 4, was walking behind an adult man, presumably his father, down the street the other day. They were dressed the same, in khaki shorts and a white shirt, and the little guy was imitating the...
Protestants, Catholics See More Similarities Than Differences
A majority of Protestants and Catholics in the U.S. see more similarities than differences between their traditions, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. The polling in western Europe yielded more...
September 5, 2017
Joel Osteen Now Says Hurricane is God’s Way of Saying ‘You Can Handle It’, ‘Take It as a Compliment’ (YouTube) Some Pastors Who Stood by Trump After Charlottesville Plead for Him to Show ‘Heart’ for ‘Dreamer’...
September 2, 2017
How Religious Roots Help American Labor Keep the Faith (San Diego Union-Tribune) Houston Mosques Open Doors to Harvey Victims on Muslim Holiday (USA Today) Trump’s Call for a National Day of Prayer Divides Rather Than...
What the Nashville Statement clarifies and why we should be grateful
By John D. Pierce, Executive Editor, Nurturing Faith Journal Much pushback has come from thoughtful Christians and others following the harsh, single-focused condemnation of same-sex relationships and “transgenderism”...
‘Sacrificial Listening’ Helps You Love Muslim Neighbors
What would it mean for Christians to make listening a cornerstone of Christian-Muslim relations? David Vishanoff calls this "sacrificial listening." Vishanoff is a professor of religious studies at the University of...
3 Crucial Steps to Respond to Targets of Hate Groups
God's declaration to Abram in Genesis 12:2 is very familiar to most of us: "I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great." If we keep reading, however, we discover in Genesis 12:3 that...
Labor Day 2017 Offers ‘Kairos Moment,’ U.S. Bishops Say
Labor Day weekend offers a "kairos moment, a moment of crisis as well as opportunity," the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops emphasized in its annual Labor Day statement. Such a moment requires Christians to identify...
September 1, 2017
New Dangers Lurk in Harvey’s Wake (Washington Post) US Deputy Attorney General Warns About the Right-Wing Terror Threat Trump Ignores (Mother Jones) Virginia Church Targeted with Racist Signs, Hate-Filled Messages (NBC...
‘It’s a birth order thing’
By John D. Pierce Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of personality traits and behaviors explained in terms of birth order — though such interpretations have been around for a long time. While some patterns are obvious,...
Profiles in Goodwill: Gordon King
Gordon King serves as Canadian Baptist Ministries' resource specialist. 1. Where did you grow up? Kaleden, British Columbia, Canada - a rural village of about 300 people. 2. What is your favorite verse, book or story...
4 Ways Your Church Can Manage Irreconcilable Conflicts
Being Christ's church is no easy task. As far back as the New Testament, churches have been dealing with weighty matters from Bible interpretation to theological wrangling so much that we should not be surprised when...
Day of Care for Creation Offers Ecumenical Opportunities
The World Day of Prayer for the Care for Creation, a designation first established by the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1989, is Sept. 1. The observance was expanded in 2007, according to the World Council of Churches,...
August 31, 2017
Epic Floods – Not Just in Texas – are a Challenge for Aid Groups (NPR) Disaster Relief Agencies Ready to Help Harvey Victims, But They Can’t Get In (Boston Globe) Reminder: Mike Pence Used the Bible to Explain Why We...
Church Leaders, Make Houston Your Next Mission Trip
I have grown weary of the "once-in-a-thousand-year flood" description of the historical flooding Houston and surrounding areas have experienced this week. This event defied all odds and all logic; it has become the new...
5 Ways to Reduce the Demand for Labor Trafficking
A truck parks in a Wal-Mart parking lot in San Antonio in July's blistering heat. A man desperate for water makes it inside the store asking for a drink. It's discovered that the truck is full of people. Eight are...
5 Things to Consider Before You Quit Your Church
Have you been church shopping lately? Maybe you are on the edge of initiating a search due to your disappointment, discomfort or disagreement with your current congregation. Does anyone keep statistics on how many...
August 30, 2017
Houston Mayor Imposes a Nightly Curfew to Help Stem Looting in Harvey’s Wake (Washington Post) Osteen’s Houston Megachurch Disputes Claims that it Shut its Doors (Washington Post) Monument to Myth or History? Museum of...
Baptists Help Out as Harvey Floods Texas, Louisiana
Baptist groups are working to assess needs and to formulate relief plans as Hurricane Harvey continues to pour water into an already-flooded southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. Texas Baptist Men (TBM), which...
What is Your Church Doing for Labor Day Services?
Labor Day was established as an official U.S. holiday 123 years ago to recognize and celebrate workers on the first Monday of September. This day, the U.S. Department of Labor explains, "is dedicated to the social and...
Gaining New Appreciation for Creation Care
We are all surrounded by creation every day. Whether you live in a scenic rural area where the slightest bit of attention reveals the beauty of God's creation or in a big city that requires a bit more effort in...