Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Bridging 4 Cultural Obstacles to Share God’s Love
My wife and I had the opportunity to travel across the George Washington Bridge in New York City recently. As we drove over the bridge, I was fascinated not only by the stunning view of the Hudson River, but also by...
December 17, 2015
Can Hobby Lobby Buy the Bible? (The Atlantic) Wheaton College Suspends Christian Professor Who Wore a Hijab (Chicago Tribune) Watching the GOP Debate Through Muslim Eyes (CNN) 'Star Wars': A New Hope for N.J. Church's...
Trusting God to Break Though Our Weary Cynicism
I enjoy Christmas - always have. Every year I look forward to: Children's pageants, complete with Burger King crowns for wise men, bath-robed shepherds and aluminum foil-wings for angels Misty-eyed singing of "Silent...
5 Qualities of the Next Generation of Ministry Leaders
Change is never easy. Most often the willingness to change (or the necessity to change) comes from external factors - an economic adjustment, an environmental shift or a personal crisis. The only certainty in life is...
Where’s the Good News?
Christmas is the season of good news, right? "I bring you good news," said the angel to the shepherds at the birth of Jesus. The angels proclaimed, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom...
December 16, 2015
Religion in the Public Square Stirs Up Debate (Columbus Dispatch) Unbelief as a Belief System: Core Tenet for Conservative Christian's Fight for Religious Rights (NPR) Islamic Nations Form Coalition to Fight Terror,...
Free at last …
I sat down to write a blog today and realized it has been more than three weeks since the last one -- not a good record if you want to keep an audience. It's been a hairy time of the year, with Thanksgiving...
God’s Christmas Gift: It’s the Contents Not the Wrapping
What the "Christmas package" looks like each year is familiar. It is neatly wrapped in seasonal decorations, Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, entertaining, a little time off from work and school, and religious...
Getting to the Root of When Excessive Wealth is Evil
Twenty folks possess more wealth than 50 percent of U.S. citizens, according to a December 2015 report from the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), a Washington-based progressive think tank focused on peace, justice and...
Churches Bear Gifts, Address Multiple Needs During Christmas
Churches are gift-giving institutions during the Christmas season. First Baptist Church of Bristol, Virginia, has partnered with a local nonprofit that coordinates with their county's Department of Children's Services...
December 15, 2015
North Carolina Mayor Swears in, But Not on the Bible (KUTV) Conservative Actress Tells Fox: Darth Vader is Black Because It's in the Bible and 'Jesus Talks About It' (Raw Story) The New Christian Marketing Group on the...
Journeying with Randall Lolley
By John D. Pierce Some of us were blessed to pass through the theological seminary in old Wake Forest when Randall Lolley was president. You could call it good timing — or just a blessing. Others — in Winston-Salem,...
What Franklin Graham Doesn’t Know About Baptist Faith
Donald Trump made a number of hate-filled and inaccurate comments about Muslims, and proposed some extreme policies on the back of those comments. This came to our attention in the United Kingdom because one of the...
You’re Not Called to Fear, You’re Called to Love
Three times in Luke's birth narrative (Luke 2:1-20), angels appear to people and their first words are "Do not be afraid." It's an understandable statement. I'd be frightened if an angel appeared to me and started...
You Have an Invitation to Join Slow Club
If you were to drop by my house on a morning when we're trying to get all five members of our family out the door, you would be likely to hear a variety of phrases: "Let's go!" "Hurry up!" "I already told you to put...
December 14, 2015
Millennials and Religion: The Great Disconnect (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Conservatives Call for 'Religious Freedom,' But for Whom? (National Public Radio) Responding to Petition, White House Says Obama Won't Declare...
December 12, 2015
Police: Person Detained Over Arson at Southern California Mosque (Huffington Post) Trump Postpones Israel Trip Amid Controversy Over Muslim Proposal (Reuters) Ben Carson Joins Donald Trump in Threatening to Leave GOP...
Finding the Beauty While Living In-Between Addresses
My wife and I are living in-between addresses. I know that sounds odd, but I can find no better way to describe our living situation at the present. Our house is now sold and belongs to another, and a new home waits in...
U.S. Evangelicals in Paris Reflect on Climate Talks
U.S. evangelicals who traveled to Paris for the COP21 United Nations climate conference are considering what they learned and how to continue advocating for climate justice as the gathering draws to an end. They will...
5 Signs of Invigorated, Engaged Pastors
There are some people in every generation who just seem to "get it." They appear to be the right people, for the right leadership opportunity, at just the right time. They turn out to be exceptional leaders who stand...
December 11, 2015
Why Franklin Graham Says Donald Trump is Right About Stopping Muslim Immigration (Washington Post) Members of Donald Trump's Christian Denomination Are Trying to See if They Can Kick Him Out (Think Progress) Amputee...