Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
5 Things to Quit to Discover God’s Future for You
Nobody wants to be a quitter. But Bob Goff, author of "Love Does," says everyone should quit something every Thursday. He argues that quitting has taken on such a negative connotation in our culture that we're...
Child Refugees ‘Particularly Vulnerable’ to Human Trafficking
Child refugees are "particularly vulnerable" to exploitation by human traffickers, according to a report by The Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Actions Against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). While most...
March 23, 2016
Who's More Religious: Men or Women? (Dallas Morning News) From the Boardroom to the Pulpit: Breaking the Stained Glass Ceiling (Philly Voice) Black Activism, Unchurched (The Atlantic) Religious LGBT Discrimination Bill...
Glossing Over Pain and Loss Leading Up to Easter
I visited a congregation in New York's Adirondack Mountains recently for a conversation about pastoral transition. As I got out of my car, I looked around at the old graveyard surrounding the church building and...
Christians Must Go Beyond the Golden Rule. Are You?
We've all heard of the Golden Rule. Nearly every culture and every religion have some version of this rule. Some, like the Bible, state it in positive terms: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Others...
Environmental Conditions Contribute to 12.6 Million Deaths Annually
Nearly 25 percent of annual deaths worldwide are due to unhealthy environmental conditions, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report published March 15. "Findings confirm that 23 percent of global deaths...
March 22, 2016
Trump Names Christian Extremist as Foreign Policy Advisor (Daily Beast) Baptist Youth Pastor's Wife Says She's Wearing Hijab on Mondays to Show Solidarity With Muslims (Christian Post) Sources: Former Louisiana College...
Damaged faith
By John D. Pierce The Gospel has been so Americanized and Jesus so domesticated that to claim to be Christian in our modern context says very little of substance about a person. It simply raises suspicions of being...
When Small Churches Join Forces, Good Things Happen
I was invited to preach at a local Baptist association's Lenten service. For the past three years, this association has come together during the Lenten season to hold joint worship services on Sunday evenings. Each...
Payday Loans a Key Focus in Consumer Protection Report
Payday loans and predatory lending practices were a key focus of a House Financial Services Committee hearing last week. Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), offered a...
March 21, 2016
Trump's Appeal to Mormons to be Tested in Utah (ABC News) Pro-Trump Pastor Mark Burns Says Hillary Clinton Endorses Black 'Genocide' (Daily Beast) Southern Baptist IMB Baptisms Hit Their Lowest Level Since 1969...
Explore America’s religious heritage with us
By John D. Pierce Many Americans are woefully — and in some cases, willingly —ignorant of this nation's unique religious heritage. Misguided preachers, politicians and pundits often add to the false narratives that...
Kerry, State Department Declare IS Actions to Be Genocide
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared Islamic State (Daesh) actions in the Middle East against Christians, Yezidis and other religious groups to be genocide. "In my judgment, Daesh is responsible for genocide...
Effective Pastoral Leadership Isn’t What It Used To Be
I hear pastors frequently share that they are unsure how to be effective. "I used to know what to do to be effective as a pastor, but now it seems like what I used to do doesn't achieve the same result," they lament....
March 18, 2016
Georgia Lawmakers Pass Anti-Gay Religious Discrimination Bill (WTVM) Salesforce CEO Threatens to Take Business Out of Georgia if 'Anti-Gay Bill' is Signed (Fortune) Leading Evangelical Pastor Robert Jeffress Speaks Out...
How You Can Survive the Agony of 10 Painful Words
Ten words that I would prefer not to experience personally have impacted recently the lives of friends and ministry colleagues. Oncologist. Hospice. Bankruptcy. Betrayal. Depression. Suicide. Divorce. Termination....
Why Churches Need to Talk About Seeking Justice
How can a congregation be "salt" and "light" in ways that help people in need without creating dependency? I had a fascinating conversation recently about this question with some folks who are trying hard to understand...
After Ebola Crisis, Liberia’s Struggles Continue
Ebola killed nearly 5,000 people in Liberia and threatened the lives of 4 million over a period of more than two years. Now that we are free from the threat of Ebola, we can sit side by side and move freely through...
Ministering to Rural Homeless – If You Can Find Them
Homelessness is a significant problem in rural settings - if you can find the rural homeless, that is. Moreover, funding for state and federal dollars is often attached to the number of homeless people identified...
Has Your Generosity Grown Up?
A recent assignment to lead a church discussion on "Creating a Culture of Generosity" led to some reflection on a familiar topic that yielded (for me, at least) a new way of thinking about it. When children are small,...
U.S. House Says ISIS Committing Genocide against Christians, State Department Still Investigating
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved a resolution on Monday evening (March 14) to declare actions by the Islamic State (also known as Daesh) against religious minorities in the Middle East, including...