Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
When Building Walls, Make Sure They’re Good Ones
In his poem, "Mending Wall," published in 1914, Robert Frost stated the proverb, "Good fences make good neighbors." Frost recognized that "where there are cows," fences make good sense. However, he questioned the...
Collateral discovery
Can militants associated with the so-called Islamic State be given credit for anything good? Not one thing, most of us would say. Still, their misguided and destructive campaign to blot out priceless monuments from...
History — beautifully captured and shared
By John D. Pierce Congratulations to author Cynthia Wise Mitchell, and the history committee and congregation of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church in Birmingham, on the publishing of this beautiful volume that commemorates...
March 2, 2017
Illinois Methodist Church Offers 'Ash & Dash' Services (Fox2Now St. Louis) N.C. Church Urged Congregants to 'Beat the Devils Out' of Babies, Members Say (Dallas Morning New) Swastikas Carved into Progressive New...
CBF of Georgia Connects Youth to Mission Projects
March Mission Madness is the longest running event within the life of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia (CBF/GA), celebrating its 21st anniversary in 2017. This annual weekend-long event begins on a Friday...
Kansas Baptist Church Shows Hospitality to Refugees
Hospitality to strangers is an integral part of the Christian faith tradition. Marjorie Thompson, in her 2005 book, "Soul Feast," states it was "a hallmark of virtue for ancient Jews and Christians." The writer of...
Why Immigrants Flee Their Homes to Come to the U.S.
A Salvadoran immigrant whom I'll call Marcos caused me to dig deeper in order to understand his home country. Since then, I've studied the history of El Salvador and I've now visited there twice. I've made Salvadoran...
March 1, 2017
Influential Conservative Group: Trump, DeVos Should Dismantle Education Department and Bring God Into Classrooms (Washington Post) Here's What it's Like to be Muslim in the Bible Belt in 2017 (Mother Jones) Duo Gets...
Profiles in Goodwill: Yohanna Katanacho
Yohanna Katanacho is the academic dean at Nazareth Evangelical College and professor of biblical studies at Bethlehem Bible College. 1. Where did you grow up? I grew up in the Old City of Jerusalem. 2. What is your...
Sharing the Gospel, Saving Lives in West African Nation
Riches and poverty have been on my mind following a recent missional trip to Ghana. This west African nation is a sub-Saharan, impoverished, largely undeveloped country that is multilingual and multireligious. It is...
Yes, Many Baptists Observe Ash Wednesday Too
Baptists don't celebrate Ash Wednesday. That was the reason given to me a few years ago by a local Christian bookstore employee in explaining why they didn't have any Ash Wednesday resources. I had stopped by the store...
February 28, 2017
Another Wave of Bomb Threats Hits Jewish Community Centers, Schools (Huffington Post) Poll Reveals Religious Divide on Trump's Refugee Rules – White Evangelicals Back Them, Many Other Christians Don't (Salt Lake...
South Sudan Faith Leaders Address U.N. Famine Declaration
Baptist and Catholic leaders have addressed the United Nations' Feb. 20 formal declaration of famine in South Sudan. The South Sudan Catholic Bishops' Secretariat issued a pastoral letter on Feb. 23 emphasizing that...
This Powerful Tool Combats Negativity, Harsh Words
Aesop wrote a fable about a donkey who discovered a lion's skin. He tried it on, strutted around and scared many animals. Soon a fox came along and the donkey tried to frighten him too. But when the fox heard the...
Explorations in Baptist History: Adam Clayton Powell Sr.
The Abyssinian Baptist Church surely is among the great congregations to rise up and minister to the urban multitudes in the history of New York City churches. Among their past ministers, Adam Clayton Powell Sr. is...
‘Good Book’ keeps the focus on large, important biblical themes
A review by John D. Pierce The Good Book is a good book about the Good Book. For those not raised on Sword Drills and Sunday school, it is an especially helpful resource for how to approach the Bible, which author...
February 27, 2017
How the FBI is Hobbled by Religious Illiteracy (The Atlantic) Harming Religious Freedom: For Some Oklahoma Senators, It's As Easy as 1, 2, 3 (Americans United) Muhammad Ali's Son Asked, 'Are You Muslim?' by Border...
In Seeking Truth, Beware Those Who Use ‘Bold Subterfuge’
The U.S. is in a bit of a truth crisis right now. Getting at the truth has always been a challenge, even when everyone is playing by the rules and honestly seeking truth. But that isn't always the case. A lot of people...
UN: Despite Gains, Eradicating Poverty, Hunger Still Illusive
Millions still live in extreme poverty and billions remain malnourished, even as population increases, conflicts and climate change threaten natural resources and food security. Despite gains in eradicating global...
Long before Adam …
It's the time of the year -- especially in an inordinately warm winter year -- when folks start putting out fertilizer and pre-emergent herbicides to suppress the growth of weeds in their lawns, gardens, or fields. It...
Shelter of love
By John D. Pierce Bill Davies and I have been friends since my student days in Rome, Ga., when he was a youthful Christian education minister at the First Baptist Church there. So last Thursday evening we had plenty to...