Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
November 5, 2015
Baptist Groups Discuss Racism (WTOK) Houston Decided it Had a Problem: Its LGBT Nondiscrimination Law (Washington Post) Houston Voters Defeat Equal Rights Ordinance (Baptist News Global) The Christian Evolution on...
Inching Closer to Achieve Work-Life Balance for All
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) made headlines when he told GOP House members that he would not sacrifice family time should he be elected as the next Speaker of the House. After sharing his vision for a renewed...
Blaming the Victim: Rethinking the Samaritan Woman
The typical reading of Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well in John 4:5-30 is faulty. This interpretation presents her as a "loose" woman, a serial divorcee (five times!) who is currently shacking up with a man...
Organization Celebrates 100 Years of Promoting Peace
The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) is celebrating its 100th anniversary this week in New York City. FOR was launched as the result of a pact made by two Christians in August 1914 at the outbreak of the World War I....
November 4, 2015
Church Advertises 'HIV … It's Time to Take Control of This Gangsta' (WGNO, LA) Religious Rants in the Classroom: Students in Public School Say Christianity Forced Upon Them (Slate) Class Controversy: Missouri Parents...
God’s design?
By John Pierce Years ago a congregation placed a classified ad in a Baptist newspaper to assist their search for a new pastor. Among the qualities and qualifications they sought was someone with “the mind of God.” My...
How Will Your Church Stand Against Predatory Lenders?
Predatory lending practices within the payday loan industry are coming under increased scrutiny from government and faith leaders in Springfield, Missouri. The issue has been placed on the legislative agenda for the...
The Delicate Relationship Between Faith, Doctrine
The recently concluded Vatican Synod on the Family offered hints of some significant concessions on long-standing policies regarding the church's sacramental ministry to divorced persons. Reports pointed to support for...
Meeting Donor Expectations with Tangible Results
What do donors want from EthicsDaily.com? Results. Donors want to know that their gifts make a difference. They want to see a return on their gift. They want to know that we are good stewards of what they have...
November 3, 2015
Jimmy Carter Says He Feels Fine, Keeps Busy Despite Cancer (Miami Herald) Ben Carson: My Denomination Should Ordain Women (Christian Post) Evangelical Vote is Splintered in Iowa (Boston Globe) Duke Energy Wants Fines...
What Does God Look Like to You?
Every child wants to know, and many have the courage to ask, "What does God look like?" The adult in all of us wants to quickly answer in a theologically correct way saying, "God cannot be pictured. An image is...
Report: 5 Million U.S. Children Have Parents in Prison
More than 5 million children have had at least one parent with whom they live be incarcerated at some point in their childhood. This estimate was part of a report published by Child Trends (CT), a nonprofit,...
TV Sitcom Reflects Our Fascination with Celebrity
A new television sitcom, "The Grinder," holds up a mirror that should make us ashamed or at least embarrassed. I watch a lot of television because it helps me keep in touch with popular culture and my students. Knowing...
November 2, 2015
Episcopal Church Installs Its First African American Presiding Bishop (Washington Post) Boston-Area Mosque Spray-Painted with 'USA' Graffiti (ABC News) First Baptist Church of Columbia, South Carolina, Raises $60,000...
Old trick treats Bible and people poorly
By John Pierce One of the oldest tricks of Christian fundamentalism is to carefully select a few isolated Bible verses to support a preconceived notion, declare that position as divine and then piously charge anyone...
October 31, 2015
Feature: Old Rugged Crosses (Spark) Suspect Arrested in String of St. Louis Area Church Arsons (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Fear and Voting on the Christian Right (CNN) The World's Largest Christian University Relaxes...
Jesus Calls for Justice; We Prefer Self-Righteousness
Ghandi famously said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." His words were both a compliment to Jesus and a recognition that our relationship to Jesus has been...
Remembering The Faithful Who Died and Those Who Grieve
All religions attempt to make sense of death. Death is an enemy, the ultimate enemy. It represents an exit from what we know into what we don't know. While our religion has some effect on how we grieve, grief is a...
Why Disputes Between Churches, UK Gov’t Will Increase
Another avalanche of media coverage emerged recently about a row between the Church of England and the United Kingdom government. This time it relates to the refugee crisis. The bishops have accused the government of...
October 30, 2015
Multiracial Church Leaders Unite to Heal Nation's Racial Divide (Christian Post) Virginia County GOP Ad Touts Christian Heritage (News Leader) Marco Rubio Takes Lead Among Evangelical Leaders, Study Says (Religion News...
Thanks, Jackie!
By John Pierce Jackie Bowen showed up at Boynton Baptist Church in Ringgold, Ga., in the summer of 1975 to work with the youth. The Georgia Southern student from the mid-state town of Perry was welcomed to the hills of...