Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
March 9, 2016
Feds Deal Double Blow to FLDS, the Sect Led by the Jeffs Brothers (CNN) 2,500-Year-Old Seal Belonging to a Woman Unearthed in Jerusalem (CNN) Ad for Virgin Daughter Strikes Sour Note at Christian Magazine (Houston...
6 Practical Steps to Increase Your Church’s Giving
All but a few churches in our region are struggling with their finances. Giving is down, expenses are up. Many of the ensuing financial discussions focus on what should be cut to meet ends. We need more insights on how...
Christians Must Return to Civility in U.S. Politics
Never in my lifetime have I experienced the kind of harsh rhetoric being thrown around between and among equally devout Christians over political differences of opinion. Much of it happens on Facebook. Christians there...
Fear of Refugees Strong in U.S., Even among Practicing Protestants
A strong majority (86 percent) of U.S. Protestant pastors affirm that Christians are called to "care sacrificially for refugees and foreigners," and 98 percent said they were "at least somewhat informed" about the...
March 8, 2016
What if Animals Believe in God? (Religion Dispatches) Idaho Pastor Shot in the Skull After Praying with Ted Cruz, Manhunt Under Way for Former Marine (Washington Post) Trump Grabbing White, Born-Again Christian Voters...
4 Reasons People Don’t Want to Attend Church
I heard a lot during my formative years about the Great Commission that Jesus gave his disciples: "Go therefore into the world" to disciple, baptize and teach others about God in Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). I...
IMB President Discusses Future Following Personnel Reduction
Following the voluntary resignation of more than 1,000 missionaries and staff, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, David Platt, addressed the agency's future in a live...
March 7, 2016
Christian Extremist Running for Texas Board of Education Won Big on Super Tuesday (Slate) Christian Extremist, Leading Texas 'Education' Candidate: Obama was Gay Prostitute, Dems Killed JFK, Slavery Was Not the Reason...
Nothing like a little controversy …
As the Republican presidential campaigns descend to ever-greater depths of schoolyard scrapping, I can't help but recall some of the uglier spots in the devolution of the Southern Baptist Convention, when angry voices...
Evangelicals in Middle America Less Supportive of Trump
Support for Donald Trump among evangelical voters continues to garner numerous headlines as the business mogul moves closer to the Republican presidential nomination. However, evangelicals in the middle part of the...
Fueled by Social Media, Society’s Quick to Condemn
We love a comeback story, but not as much as a resignation or firing in our quick-to-condemn society. The University of Missouri decided last week to fire assistant professor Melissa Click based on her actions during...
UK Baptists Urge Government to Protect Refugees
Baptist leaders have expressed alarm and dismay at the recent news stories of the treatment of refugees and migrants on European borders. The news that Macedonian authorities have responded with tear gas to a break at...
March 4, 2016
The Right to Abortion – and Religious Freedom (The Atlantic) Ted Cruz: Gay Marriage Will Pull Christian Broadcasters Off the Air (Right Wing Watch) Southern Baptist Notables Endorse Republican Presidential Contenders...
Church Attendance, Religious Tradition Sway Israel-Palestine Views
Church attendance and religious tradition impacted responses to questions about whether U.S. citizens sympathized more with Israelis or Palestinians in the Middle East conflict. A strong U.S. majority (62 percent)...
How You Can Relate Scripture to Changing Culture
I continue to be intrigued by a report that emerged in the wake of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, Oct. 4-25, 2015. The report alleges that, on Oct. 12, 2015, near...
5 Ways Your Church Can Reach Special-Needs Families
Did you know that the largest unchurched people group in the United States is families who are touched by special needs? What is your church doing to try to reach this oft-neglected segment of people in our...
March 3, 2016
Baptist Church Refused to Marry Couple Because They're Black (Wisconsin Gazette) R.I.P. Religious Right, and Other Super Tuesday Takeaways (CNN) Ben Carson Tells Supporters He Sees No 'Path Forward' For Presidential...
Standing Up to Rhetoric from Bullying Politicians
We have all encountered bullying in some form or another. These are sometimes painful memories. It's a terrible feeling to be weak and unable to stand up for ourselves. Perhaps even more painful is the knowledge that...
7 Lessons When Storms Devastate Our Communities
I drove north on Pensacola, Florida's Scenic Bluffs Highway, one of the most beautiful coastal drives in America. And yet, as the sunrise glistened over Escambia Bay, the picturesque Florida scenery was scarred by...
Why Many Christians Don’t Hunger or Thirst for Justice
There is little about the fourth Beatitude - "Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness" - that we get right. Let's start with our concept of "righteousness." We have made it a general term for...
March 2, 2016
Racketeering Suit Claims Mark Driscoll Misused Mars Hill Donor Dollars (Seattle Times) Roman Catholic Priests and Church Leaders Sexually Abused Hundreds of Children in Altoona Diocese: AG Office (Penn Live) Mormon...