Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
How You Can Slow Down ISIS Recruitment
My generation (I'm a Millennial) used to ask, "What would we have done during Nazi domination?" In some ways, the question is no longer theoretical. The so-called Islamic State has come to represent a new threat to...
Sabbaticals Prepare Pastors for New Season to Bloom
My father-in-law, as a master gardener, has a close connection to the earth. He has enriched his garden through the years with hundreds of loads of pecan hulls from the local pecan company. Because the earth gives back...
February 8, 2016
Professor Who Said Christians, Muslims Share a God is Leaving Christian College (NPR) Religion or Romance? Interfaith Relationships are More Common Than Ever, but Making Them Work is a Balancing Act (Chattanooga Times...
February 6, 2016
Baptist Pastors and Ministers Conference at Philadelphia and Vicinity Installs New Officers (Philadelphia Sun) Trump's Unwelcome Support: White Supremacists (CNN) How the Satanic Temple Forced Phoenix Lawmakers to Ban...
U.S. Majority: Religion Used by Extremists to Justify Violence
A strong U.S. majority (68 percent) affirmed that people and groups use religion to justify violent actions rather than religious teachings being the cause of violence, according to a Pew Research Center report....
Should Christian Leaders Endorse Candidates?
Several years ago when I was still a pastor, my father ran for a local political office. One day the call came that I was dreading. He wanted to put one of his campaign signs in my yard. I refused to let him do that. I...
February 5, 2016
Obama at Prayer Breakfast: 'Faith is the Greatest Cure for Fear' (CNN) Bigger Church = Less Engaged Parishioners (Phys.org) Georgia Southern Baptist Pastors Push for Bill Allowing Christians to Discriminate Against...
Now that’s (not) a trip …
Shopping just became more convenient in the Raleigh area, as the online retailer Amazon made it the 25th city in the country with a local warehouse and "free" two-hour delivery for "Prime" members (who pay $99 per...
What is the naked truth?
By John D. Pierce The late humorist Lewis Grizzard once explained common Southern vernacular regarding nudity. “Naked,” he said, means you don’t have on clothes. “Nekkid,” however, means you don’t have on clothes —...
‘Curse of Perfectionism’ Dooms Political Process
Could the governing failure of Pennsylvania's 18th century "Quaker Assembly" provide a warning for the 21st century U.S.? The late historian Daniel Boorstin suggested that the Quakers' failure in governing the colony...
Our Workaholic Busyness Keeps Us from Sabbath
The heavy snow that recently fell in our area brought surprising gifts: the requirement (and permission) to step away for a few days from routine busyness, to have longer stretches of uninterrupted time to read and to...
British Baptist Church Earns Award for Going Green
I was privileged to present an Eco-Congregation Award to Central Baptist Church of Norwich in England on Jan. 24. This may well have been one of the last such awards to be made, as two days later Eco Church was...
February 4, 2016
Obama Rebuts GOP Muslim Rhetoric in First U.S. Mosque Visit (CNN) Democratic Hopefuls Brave Far-Right Prestonwood Baptist (Texas Observer) A Crisis of Faith: Zika Tests Catholic Position on Birth Control (CNN)...
Goodwill Muslim Leaders Speak Up for Religious Freedom for Minorities
Historic and inspiring are the two words used by Texas Baptist religion professor Robert Sellers to describe the Marrakesh Declaration released last week by Muslim scholars. Texas megachurch pastor Bob Roberts said he...
Iowa Evangelicals Answered Call to “Elect a President Who Will Lead in Godly Ways”
A blizzard of evangelical voters carried Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to an upset victory over business mogul Donald Trump in the Iowa Republican caucus on Monday. White evangelical voters always play a strong role in the Iowa...
U.S. Leaders: Opioid Addiction and Abuse an Epidemic
Heroin and prescription drug abuse were the focus of a bipartisan Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week. "America is experiencing a historic epidemic of drug overdose deaths. Over 47,000 died from overdoses in...
February 3, 2016
Baylor Faces Accusations of Ignoring Sexual Assault Victims (ESPN) Baylor Not Commenting on Procedural Changes for Sexual Assault Allegations After Scathing ESPN Report (Waco Tribune) Catholic Bishops Back Law...
Fleeing Refugees Bring Mission Field to Croatia
The last four months I have been watching refugees arrive in Croatia, and it had a strong effect on me to pray for them. I, too, have been through war and refugee days and I know all too well the feelings of fear -...
Every Church Must Adapt to Process of Change
How much do you consider yourself a change agent? If you are a pastor, a church staff member or lay leader, then welcome to the world of change management. Every congregation is in the process of adapting to this new...
Survey: Southern U.S. Most “Bible-Minded”
The most "Bible-minded" cities are found in the southern United States, according to the Barna Research Group. The annual survey, conducted in conjunction with the American Bible Society, found "all of the top 10...
February 2, 2016
Britain Approves Controversial Gene-Editing Experiments (Washington Post) Faith Communities Unite for Action on Climate Change (Orlando Sentinel) Experts: Christian Doctrine is Causing the Zika Virus Outbreak to...