Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
More Men Needed to Teach, Volunteer in Schools
Male volunteers are rare. A local elementary school counselor shared this with me recently, leading me to search for data to determine if this anecdotal experience reflected a larger trend. The latest U.S. census data...
3 Ways Stewardship Differs from Philanthropy
There is an old children's poem that goes like this: "What kind of church would my church be, if all of its members were just like me?" That is a good question to ask ourselves related to the stewardship of our time,...
Report: Majority of People in Extreme Poverty Are Under 17
There are 767 million people worldwide in extreme poverty, defined as a household living on less than $1.90 per day per person. Of these, 385 million are children and youth ages 17 or younger - 122 million (ages 0-4);...
YouTube to the rescue
I am not a mechanic, and never wanted to be. There were years when I used to change the oil and do basic tuneups on my cars, but that was back when engines were less sophisticated and more accessible to...
7 Actions That Will Nurture Your Distracted Soul
Information overload: You've experienced it, I've experienced it, and we all know it isn't healthy. Constant updates. 24/7 cable news. Alerts on our smartphones. Text messages that scream for immediate attention....
When Your Faith Aligns Too Closely with Your Politics
Christians, who are people of the Book, follow political scripts as well as biblical scripts. The Right preaches small government and identifies with the Republican Party. The Left preaches an interventionist...
4 Toxic Mistakes to Flush Out Regarding Islam
As our American friends approach Election Day this coming Nov. 8, the rest of us around the world are holding our breaths as we consider the implications of that event on the country's foreign policies. At a time when...
Report: Extreme Global Poverty Declines, Inequality Remains High
Decades of progress in reducing extreme global poverty have been hindered by a continued high rate of income inequality, according to a World Bank report. "The world had almost 1.1 billion fewer poor in 2013 than in...
October 13, 2016
Members Claim Their Church Stiffed Them on Loans (KSHB) Church Group Describes Weathering Matthew in Haiti (WoodTV) Dad Barred From Talking Religion With Kids (Courthouse News Service) At Liberty University Pence Urges...
Don’t Wrap Your Faith and Patriotism Too Tightly
U.S. citizens have the huge privilege and heavy responsibility of having a voice in shaping our nation's future. In November, we will participate in a presidential election and in the choice of other elected officials...
5 Ways to Nurture Compassion in Your Heart
Compassion is a powerful force. Stories of compassion are often found in places of tragedy and suffering. These are the locations of wounded and broken people. Members of a small Baptist church in the Bekaa Valley of...
October 12, 2016
CBF Continues Hurricane Matthew Relief Efforts, Encourages Prayer and Donations (CBF) Hurricane-Hit Haiti and Cuba Draw Southern Baptist Relief (Baptist Press) Four Churches Sue Over 'Punishing' Transgender Bathroom...
Building Relationships with People of Other Faiths
How do we build relationships with people of other faiths? The city of Chelmsford, England, in which I live is overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly nominal Christian. There is, however, a small but growing Muslim...
U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program Seeks to Balance Welcome, Security
Balancing welcome with national security was addressed in a recent U.S. Senate hearing about the goal of resettling 110,000 refugees in the U.S. in 2017. Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) expressed concern...
October 11, 2016
For Cubs' Faithful, Baseball and Religion Often Overlap (Chicago Tribune) Fight Over Religion Playing Out in Oklahoma State 10 Commandments Question (KOCO) Andover Newton to Sell Campus to 'Respected Foundation'...
What the Bible Says About Intergenerational Ministry
Does the Bible talk about intergenerational ministry? How about generational discipleship? Is there a biblical basis for this new craze sweeping the children's ministry and family ministry worlds? Yes, and it is a...
Egypt’s Baptists Serve Many Poor, Illiterate People
The indigenous mission workers in Egypt work sacrificially, usually among the poorest and often illiterate people. Their mission is twofold: to share the message of the gospel and do social work, which virtually brings...
October 10, 2016
Christian Coalition of Alabama Releases Response to Release of Trump Recordings (WTVM) Well-Known Evangelical Theologian Withdraws Endorsement of Donald Trump (The Blaze) Utah's Mormons in' All-Out Revolt' Against...
Plan for Nov. 9: Refocus Your Congregation from White House to Church House
Americans are dissatisfied with the presidential choices offered by the Democratic and Republican parties. "For the first time in more than two decades, a majority of voters express dissatisfaction with their choices...
Good answer
By John D. Pierce Nothing provides a good night's rest like having the whole family under the same roof. That was my rare and treasured experience last night. A few years ago I casually coined the term "dawghter" when...
October 8, 2016
Phil Robertson: Hillary Clinton Lies Because Satan Controls the Democratic Party (Right Wing Watch) Corey Lewandowski on Vulgar Trump Comments: 'We're Not Choosing a Sunday School Teacher' (Huffington Post) Erick...