Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Emerging Voices | What Women Pastors Taught Me During My Visit to Cuba
Being disoriented can be good every once in a while. My trip to Cuba challenged me to love radically and to care for others, following the example of the Cuban Baptist women pastors I came to visit.
Controversial Comic-Book Series Preaches Christianity 101
Mark Russell’s ‘Second Coming,’ a comic-book series pairing Jesus with a superhero, sparked fiery anger from Christians before publication, but its message is Christianity 101: You can’t win through violence or power, only love.
Look Back | U.S. Founders Valued Religious Freedom for All
The founders of the United States didn’t rely on the Ten Commandments to forge our nation’s laws. Indeed, their goal was to ensure religion would neither control government nor contend with unnecessary government entanglement.
Theological Malpractice Stands Culpable in Sexual Abuse
Patriarchalism is a common thread running through church sexual abuse cases. Any theological conviction and practice that harbors abusers and vilifies victims should be truthfully regarded for what it is: theological malpractice.
Maybe Military Should Organize Bake Sales, Not Schools
Teachers and schools are in charge of our most precious resource yet struggle for adequate financing. What if schools enjoyed pork-barrel largesse and the military depended on corporate charity? Talk about a reversal of fortunes.
Climate Change Increases Threat to World’s Food Supply
The stability of the world’s food supply is increasingly at risk due to climate change, a new report said, causing soil erosion, vegetation loss, wildfires, permafrost thaw and water scarcity.
Profiles in Goodwill: David Balkum
David Balkum serves Highland Park Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, as its ministry council chair.
The Futility of Anger Toward Immigrants Who Need Your Help
When our ancestors first came to America, they arrived seeking a better life to sustain them. It’s no different today for those trying to cross our southern border. An ancient story illustrates the futility of being angry at them.
Report: Insufficient Progress on Reaching Food-Related Goals
Most of the UN’s food-related sustainable development goals are either off track or face an uncertain future of being reached by the target year of 2030, painting a ‘grim picture’ about the world’s ability to end hunger.
Ministry Doesn’t Vacation; Neither Does Pain, Sadness, Hatred
There’s no vacation from ministering to others. Pain, sadness and hatred do not rest. In a world filled with darkness, may all who follow Jesus be inspired to listen, comfort and educate. And may love be our first response.
A Conservative Dismantles Legalistic Anti-Immigration Defense
When people claim the US must obey the law and deport undocumented immigrants, their argument crumbles thanks to a lawbreaking, Bible-smuggling conservative Christian. When unjust laws contradict God’s will, there’s no contest.
Even ‘Annoying’ Street Preachers Should Be in Public Square
Some folks may question whether street preachers should be allowed in the public square, particularly if they’re annoying or confrontational. The public, however, is better served when such spaces are open for debate.
August 13, 2019
What Americans Know About Religion (Pew Forum) ‘Using the Lord’s Name in Vain’: Evangelicals Chafe at Trump’s Blasphemy (Politico) How Ferguson Widened an Enormous Rift Between Black Christians and White Evangelicals...
Offering Thoughts, Prayers Can Make You Less Likely to Act
When tragedy strikes, social media blazes with offers of thoughts and prayers. However, prayer was never meant to be a substitute for action. Jesus did not tell us to merely pray for those in need; he said to help them.
We Should Say Aloud ‘No More’ to Gun Violence
The evil of idols is clear throughout Scripture. Although we no longer worship golden calves, a new form of idolatry consumes the US. We worship guns, thinking they are the only thing that will protect us.
Before Criticizing Today’s ‘Lazy’ Youth, Look in the Mirror
Adults repeatedly complain that youth today are lazy, don’t want to work and have no loyalty or respect for those of us who have paved the way. If that’s the case, maybe we should criticize those who set the example for them.
August 12, 2019
‘Let Our Voices be Heard’: Youth March from Church to Square Against Immigration Raids (Fox8Live) Former Georgia Governor Slams Religious Hypocrisy, Calls for Return to Basic Tenets of Faith (Marietta Daily Journal)...
August 9, 2019
For 23 Years He’s Delivered Crosses to After Massacres. This Was His Hardest Week Yet. (CNN) All 8 Hospitalized El Paso Victims Refused to Meet With Trump After he Turned Dayton Victim Visit into a Campaign Stop...
It’s a calling, not a formula
By John D. Pierce A big question is how did so much of American Christianity today get so far from Jesus? The answer can be traced to what pastor/author Ken Wytsma calls the “Salvation Industrial Complex.” And his...
Breaking Colonialism’s Bonds and Building Friendships
While Christian missionaries have made positive contributions to human flourishing among indigenous people, colonialism is a hard habit to break. Going forward, let’s build reciprocal friendships across cultures in humility.
Canada’s Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women Often Ignored
It’s one heartbreaking story after another. Thousands of indigenous women and girls in Canada are murdered or go missing; too often families are left without answers. Grieving a loss is one thing, but injustice compounds the grief.