Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
April 6, 2016
Alabama Lawmakers Move to Impeach Governor, a Southern Baptist, Over Sex Scandal (CNN) Mississippi Governor Signs Religious Anti-LGBT Discrimination Law (Washington Post) Bill Allowing Guns in Church Heads to...
Milepost 60
By John D. Pierce For many of my friends and me, this is the year we turn 60. It’s amazing how quickly one can go from Chocks (or Flintstones) to silver vitamins. Once upon a time 60 was old age. Those were the retired...
Pastor as CEO? All the Perks; Zero Accountability
I am the first to admit that many in the pastoral profession desire all the perks of being a CEO in a local church - complete with salary and benefits - while refusing to be held accountable to the same standards as...
Britain Urged to Build Up Religious Freedom in Foreign Policy
Following the Easter attack on a children's park in Pakistan, the Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) of the Evangelical Alliance is calling on the British government to act immediately to enshrine freedom of religion...
Faith Leaders Play Key Role in Responding to Ebola Virus
Faith leaders are vital to respond effectively to the crises in West African nations resulting from the Ebola virus. Three nations - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia - were at the center of the epidemic, which...
April 5, 2016
Bill to Make Bible Official State Book of Tennessee Heads to Governor (Tennessean) Southern Baptists' ERLC Calls Upon Mississippi to 'Lead the Way' in Discriminating Against LGBT Community (ERLC) Groups to Rally...
Underlooking …
A weekend in the mountains is almost always good for the soul, especially when one is healthy enough -- and the weather is nice enough -- for hiking random trails, especially those that aren't so well known. While...
Allowing Grace to Break Down Your Dividing Lines
Too often people divide the entire population of the world (7.4 billion, by the way) into two distinct categories - "There are two kinds of people in the world." The dividing lines could fall at any number of angles...
Elders Affirm Bible’s Role in Improving Society, Millennials Less Certain
Regular Bible reading contributes to political civility and meaningful living, according to a majority of U.S. adults in an American Bible Society/Barna Group survey. Fifty-one percent of Americans said regular Bible...
April 4, 2016
Anti-Gay 'Freedom of Conscience' Bill Raises Concerns in Mississippi (Commercial Appeal) North Carolina Could Lose Federal Funding for Passing Anti-LGBT Bill (Instinct Magazine) Proposed Illinois Bill Aims to Keep...
April 2, 2016
The Baptist-on-Baptist Fight Within Georgia's 'Religious Liberty' LGBT Discrimination Debate (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Christian Universities Increasingly Apply for Exemptions From Anti-Discrimination Rules...
Whose Heart Will You Wake Up Today?
Ministry used to be simpler it seems. You had your kids, your youth, your adults and your seniors. You could tell who was who simply by looking at them. Then you knew what to do. Kids? Play-Doh, cookies and Bible...
The Leadership Crisis Faced by Smaller Churches
I worked regularly with pastor search committees in Indiana and Kentucky during the last 14 years as an American Baptist Churches resource minister. My role was to help them through our process of searching for a...
April 14, 2016
Charleston Church Shooting Trial Postponed to Next Year (Washington Post) Wisconsin School District at Odds with Parents Over 'Jesus Lunch' (Channel3000) John Kasich Pushes Support for Israel and 'Judeo-Christian'...
April 1, 2016
First Baptist Dallas' Jeffress Defends Trump's Abortion Comments, Embattled Dallas Police Chief (Dallas Morning News) Mississippi Passes Most Sweeping Religious Anti-LGBT Legislation in the U.S. (New York Magazine)...
8 Mistakes Ministers Make When Leading Adaptive Change
I am engaged regularly for coaching or consulting on the other side of change - when things don't go so well. Pastors who have initiated a failed change process are typically curious (if they have the luxury of...
An Example of Christian Leadership You’re Not Expecting
One of the ways in which Christians develop a particular understanding of "Christian" leadership is through a study of biblical characters. A quick look suggests that the following names are often in or near the top 10...
‘Punishment Rate’ More Nuanced Assessment of Criminal Justice
The punishment rate is a more nuanced assessment of criminal justice trends than the imprisonment rate, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. The imprisonment rate is calculated based on the number of inmates per...
March 31, 2016
Trump Advocates Abortion Ban, 'Some Form of Punishment' for Women (NBC News) Trump Reverses on Abortion, Saying Doctors Would be Punished (Bloomberg) Trump Says Muslims More Likely to Fight ISIS if They're Banned From...
God Works Through the Weak to Thwart the Powerful’s Plans
I visited the Calais Jungle in early March with Lynn Green, general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. The goal was to help her see what was happening and give her some insight into the work I and some...
Is Your Church Involved in Mental Health Issues?
People struggle with mental illness all around us. Though we may be shocked to hear the statistic that one in five will experience a mental illness in a given year or that 10 million adults in the U.S. live with some...