Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
10 Confessions of a Middle-Aged Pastor
Thirty seven years ago this past month I was called to my first church staff position at the age of 18. Thinking about those early beginnings has led me to reminisce about the peculiarity of my calling and my pastoral...
Religious Attendance Gender Gap Narrows
U.S. women have, for decades, been more likely to attend religious services each week than men. That gap has narrowed significantly in recent years, a Pew Research Group analysis found. The gender gap grew from 10...
May 16, 2016
With Interfaith Sunday Schools, Parents Don't Have to Choose One Religion (NPR) Austin-Based Churches, Synagogues Call for End to Anti-Muslim Bigotry (Austin American-Statesman) U.K.: BBC is 'Too Christian and Could...
The Last Crusade?
Whatever happened to America's crusades? Once upon a time, crusades were an integral part of American rhetoric, indicating a noble or righteous struggle inspired by higher motives. All sorts of political causes were...
Harvest Thanksgiving: Celebrating Creation Together
Australian church historian, Kerri Handasyde, had an illuminating essay on "Harvest Thanksgiving and the Photography of Grace" in a recent issue of the Australian Journal of Liturgy. Arguing that Harvest Thanksgiving...
May 13, 2016
In U.S. Attitudes Change, Some Evangelicals Dig In; Others Adapt (National Public Radio) Overeating is Occupational Hazard for Pastors, Baptist Says (Biblical Recorder) Facebook vs. the Bible (MarketWatch) Trump...
To Make a Better World, Let’s Put Others First
Self-centeredness and selfishness are driving forces behind many societal problems. They are manifested in efforts to maximize individual rights and freedom without sufficient consideration of how these actions impact...
Do You Accept All of Christ or Just Part of Him?
What does it mean to "accept Christ"? What are we asking a person to do? Traditionally, this has involved believing as true certain things about Jesus: that he is the Son of God and, thus, divine himself; that he was...
May 12, 2016
American Bible Society Marks 200th Anniversary (Religion News Service) Bible Event Held at Capitol as Fewer Americans Identify as Religious (Voice of America) New Jersey Mosque Gets Interfaith Support in Building...
Two Baptist Women to Be Honored during CBF Assembly
Recognitions of Molly T. Marshall and Barbara "Babs" Baugh will bookend the Friday event lineup at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's (CBF) June general assembly. Both have been named as EthicsDaily.com's Baptist of...
Meeting on Common Ground of Our Vulnerability
To say the obvious: We live in a time of upheaval and confusion. In response, many people want the church to insulate them from ambiguity and shelter them from anxiety; they want it to be a place where hard questions...
May 11, 2016
Memorial Service for Merle Haggard at Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield (Kern Golden Empire, CA) 500-Year Old “Good Jesus” Shipwreck Discovered (CNN) Trump Selects White Nationalist Leader, Christian Radio Talk Show...
Parents Not Alone When It Comes to Discipling Children
The church gets 40 hours per year and the schools get 2,000 hours per year, while parents get 3,000 hours per year, so it's a parent's job to disciple their children. I've seen a lot of posts recently that have been...
What Does the Bible Say About Laughter?
I read something recently that reduced me to a state of helpless laughter. It was an article in the Church of England newspaper, "The Church Times," and it was about a bishop of a bygone generation who had a wonderful...
Climate Change Impact on Water Cycles Results in Global Challenges
The impact of climate change on global water cycles will continue to have a negative impact on all aspects of life, according to a World Bank report. "Growing populations, rising incomes and expanding cities will...
May 10, 2016
Beloved William Carey University Professor Fired (Insider Higher Ed) 'There's Nobody Left': Evangelicals Feel Abandoned After Trump's GOP Ascent (Washington Post) Trump Knocks SBC's Moore After National Media Comments...
‘That CBF’
By John D. Pierce A Baptist church near my home was without a pastor. A representative called to see if I might help during the transition. Some members, who once belonged to another church where I was interim pastor,...
Religion in Global Affairs
When in the 1980s, Scott Appleby and I were first chartered to deal with one particular public expression of religion, the complex of militant fundamentalisms, we were confronted with a global scene for which we were...
The Source of Lasting Peace: God’s Love and Grace
Jesus' call, "Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28), is a call to a life of boundaries set by the love and grace of God. In the swift stream of our times, the need for rest...
May 9, 2016
'I Said Yes': How Finding Religion Saved Daryl Strawberry (New York Post) Southern Baptists Asked to Endorse Ban on Public Display of Confederate Battle Flag (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Six Things to Watch at...
May 7, 2016
Quiverfull Conference Will Arrange Marriages for Christian Homeschoolers (Patheos) First Baptist Church Hammond Sued in Investment Scheme (North West Indiana Times) Tow Truck Driver Says He Thinks God Told Him Not to...