Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Nationalist Religions Reinforce Tribal Pride, Quell Fears
Every election year, we see the influence of a demographic voting block, often pitched as a uniform and monolithic movement, called "evangelicalism." Evangelicalism, a loosely defined subculture in American...
Refugees Face Indifference, Hostility in French Camp
I have been visiting regularly the refugee camp in Calais, France, which increasingly looks like a suburb of the city. The so-called "jungle" is home to a group of friends struggling to hold their lives together in the...
February 23, 2016
Developers Buy Historic First African Baptist Church, Plan to Preserve It (PlanPhilly) Noah's Ark Park May Ease Religious Requirements for Workers (Religion News Service) Cruz Fires Top Campaign Spokesman Over Rubio...
R.S. Thomas: When Science Outstrips Our Wisdom
You could be forgiven for thinking that the late poet R.S. Thomas was a Luddite, a hater of technology and the mechanization of life. The machine is manufactured, and Thomas, who died in September 2000 at the age of...
3 Questions Before You Leave Your Church Youth Group
I have heard pediatricians spend as much of their time reassuring nervous parents as they do treating the sick child. The same can be said about parents of students who worry over their children's choices, salvation,...
February 22, 2016
Noted Catholic Philosopher Takes Post at Baylor University (Chronicle of Higher Education) Black Lives Matter Founder Speaks at First Baptist Church in Chattanooga (Times Free Press) Sanders Makes Surprise Visit to...
To kiss, or not to kiss …
SAPIENS, an online journal of anthropology, marked the season of valentines with an article noting that less than half of the world's cultures practice romantic kissing. The rest think it's gross. "The Half the World...
As Part of Lent, Fasting Encourages Reflection
Inspiration and insight arise unexpectedly. A column is often birthed as a line in a song stands out. It's a right-place-at-the-right-time experience. You can't manipulate or will it to happen. It is impossible to...
Decision Lessons for Pastors from President Bush
I finished reading "Decision Points" by George W. Bush recently. It was an interesting look at his eight-year presidency through his own eyes. He didn't attempt to cover all the events that occurred during this time in...
February 19, 2016
Pope Suggests Trump 'Is Not Christian' (CNN) Donald Trump v. Pope Francis: Game Changer in S.C.? (Christian Science Monitor) Falwell Jr. Claims 'Jesus Never Intended to Give Instructions' to Politicians (Huffington...
4 Steps on How Pastors Should Handle Politics in Pulpit
Election years can be volatile, unpredictable and filled with heated political rhetoric. It is not unusual these days for prominent pastors and local clergy to join the fray of bombastic oratory. While I do not think...
Debt Crushes Lives of Billions Around the World
Everyone's talking about debt these days. And so they should, for it's a critical issue. But is debt a bad thing? Is it reasonable to say that there's good debt and bad debt? Good debt seems to me to be manageable - a...
Presto! 5 Things Christians Can Learn from Magicians
A meeting of United Kingdom magicians offered important lessons about Christian discipleship. At a recent meeting of the Mid Essex Magical Society, of which I am a member, we heard a lecture from Michael Vincent. It...
February 18, 2016
Holy War: Ted Cruz Battles Donald Trump for Christian Conservatives (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) Falwell Jr.: Franklin Graham Helps Republicans (Asheville Citizen-Times) Tennessee Passes Bill Allowing Therapists to...
Does Your Church Care About Those Who Wander?
The book of James closes with a most interesting assertion. James 5:19-20 states, "My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings...
How Will the Church Respond to Global Woes?
Oxfam International announced in early January that the richest 62 people in the world own as much as half the entire population on the planet. Two days later, the Met Office, NASA and NOAA jointly confirmed that 2015...
Mental Illness: A Key Component in Criminal Justice Reform
Effective criminal justice reform must address mental illness as a contributing factor to incarceration and recidivism, a bipartisan Senate Judiciary Committee hearing emphasized last week. "On a daily basis,...
February 17, 2016
Trump is a Sinner Among Saints in South Carolina (The Atlantic) Clinton Calls for 'Facing up to the Reality of Systemic Racism' (NBC News) Mississippi Lawmakers Re-file Bill to Make Holy Bible as Official State Book...
Can Civility Be Restored in American Politics?
Republican Party presidential candidates have demolished the wall of civility. Let's review what happened at the Republican debate in Greenville, South Carolina, home of a historic Baptist university, Furman; a very...
Baptists in Nation of Georgia Criticize Blasphemy Bill
Baptist leaders in the former Soviet-bloc country of Georgia are speaking out against a proposed national bill that would criminalize insulting a religion or religious leaders. They fear the bill against blasphemy...
Economic Recovery, Education Focal Points of 2016 State of the State Addresses
State of the State addresses for 2016, largely overshadowed by the presidential election, gave sustained attention to economic recovery and education. Nearly every governor framed their address around recovering from...