Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
April 29, 2016
Low Pay, No Savings and Financial Stress: The Reality for Evangelical Pastors (Christian Today) Oxford, Alabama: Use the Wrong Bathroom, Go to Jail (CNN) Wayland Baptist University Announces New President (KCBD) Book...
Evangelism: Some Good News about the Good News – Part 2
Evangelism is "goodnewsing" - getting on with life in such a way that people have a chance to discover Jesus for themselves. It involves being, doing and speaking, which should always be held together. It is an...
The Jewish Rabbi Who Blessed Me
Even though I am not Jewish, many times I receive greetings for Jewish holidays. Being an Israeli citizen, you get quite a lot of these automatic email greetings. This year, only one person sent me a greeting for...
Who Will Fund Your Church in 10 Years?
There is an elephant in the room that many churches are trying to ignore: future finances. Many small, struggling churches survive financially today because of the faithful giving of people in the past. When churches...
April 28, 2016
And on the Seventh Day Americans Rested – But Pass on Religion, Poll Finds (Guardian) Atlanta's Friendship Baptist Church to Tear Down Fire-Damaged Former Morris Brown Dorm (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Georgia...
Where humor grows
By John D. Pierce Kathryn Hamrick, who wrote columns for several years for Baptists Today news journal and for three decades in local newspapers, has compiled nearly 100 of her approximately 1,250 columns into a book...
Evangelism: Some Good News about the Good News – Part 1
Jesus seemed to think that evangelism was an important part of being a disciple. He told Simon and Andrew that to follow him would mean fishing for people. He told those of his friends who stuck with him in Jerusalem...
Bringing Back the Bible to Our Churches
Scripture should be central in worship, and Anglican services do precisely that. So says David Kennedy in his book, "Understanding Anglican Worship." In support of this contention, he quoted John Wesley, "I believe...
Treating the Earth as ‘Warehouse of Cheap Resources’
I've often traveled north on Interstate 26 / U.S. Highway 23 into the broken heart of eastern Kentucky's coal country over the last few months. The land looks weary. There are gashes in the hillsides, which huge...
April 27, 2016
Faith Groups Are Rallying Against North Carolina's Anti-Transgender Law (Huffington Post) Latino Faith Leaders Unite Over Colorado River Protections (PR Newswire) Backlash Greets Plans for Muslim Cemeteries Across U.S....
Breakfast Event To Celebrate BCE’s 25 Years of Advancing the Common Good
Baptist Center for Ethics is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2016 and will be holding a festive breakfast event during the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's general assembly in June. The breakfast will involve an...
Fragments That Have Shaped My World View Over 25 Years
Fragmentary experiences can inform and sharpen one's understanding of the world. That has been my experience over 25 years as executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics/EthicsDaily.com. Here are a few...
Your Pastor as the Church’s Chief Celebration Officer
Sometimes one has the opportunity to watch the collective intelligence of the team rise up, resulting in "a-ha" moments or epiphany experiences. Several lead pastors, during the coaching group portion of our day, were...
April 26, 2016
Colorado Court: Ruling Stands that Baker Can't Cite Religion (ABC News) Friend of Man Charged in S.C. Church Shooting to Plead Guilty in Related Case (Reuters) Transgender Law Spurs More Rallies in North Carolina (Wall...
Baptist World Aid Australia Grades Fashion Companies’ Ethics
Fashion companies have improved oversight of fabric producers but remain largely ignorant of raw materials sources and labor conditions, according to a Baptist World Aid Australia investigation of 87 companies and 308...
4 Ways You Can Wage Peace with Wisdom
Hate speech, inflammatory rhetoric and uncivil discourse are all too common in politics and social media. In seeking a positive means to respond, I'm joining my organization, Peace Catalyst International, in a campaign...
April 25, 2016
Ohio Pastor Looks to Bible, But 'There Are No Words' (USA Today) For Hillary Clinton, Church Offers a Trusted Comfort Zone (Washington Post) Vineville Baptist, First Georgia Baptist Convention Church to Integrate, a...
Of mountains and molehills …
An eclectic team of scholars from Tel Aviv University recently published research indicating that some Israelite military personnel serving around 600 BCE knew how to read and write. Two Southern Baptist seminary...
Think You’re Persecuted Like the Prophets? Think Again.
Can we admit that sometimes Christians act badly? In the history of the church - along with many, many good things - you will also find anti-Semitism, torture, witch hunts, slavery, apartheid, misogyny and other things...
Millions Worldwide Suffer from Mental, Neurological, Substance Abuse Without Support
Mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders account for 10 percent of global diseases, according to a World Bank Group report. These issues result in numerous negative impacts, not only to individuals and...
April 22, 2016
Tennessee House Fails to Override Haslam's Bible Bill Veto (Tennessean) Anti-Refugee Bill Sets Off Church State Debate in South Carolina (Mother Jones) Religion Can Make Anti-Drinking Ads Flop (Futurity) The...