Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
4 Things Confederate Rebels, Immigrants Have in Common
Those who fly rebel flags from pick-up trucks should team up with advocates of undocumented immigrants, for they are making basically the same case. The case is skeptical of legalism, rooted in an expression of the...
October 15, 2015
Police: Teen Dead, Brother Hurt After Church Beating by Parent Members (USA Today) Georgia Politicians Give $1.5 Million (of Other People's Money) to Charity, Including Baptist Churches (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)...
Taking Yogi’s Fork in the Road: To Steward or Squander
The recent passing of baseball legend Yogi Berra called up a lifetime of memories of the Yankee catcher and his post-retirement career as a statesman for the sport. He became a kind of unwitting philosopher as well...
4 Ways to Use Social Media in Your Church
Many church visitors over the past two years found the congregation I pastor by our website. Our online presence appears to be a major draw for our guests, second only to personal invitations. If our experience is...
Maybe It’s Time to Shame Public Folks for Ethical Breaches
One of the most famous questions ever asked in public of a public person was U.S. Army counsel Joseph Welch's question to Sen. Joseph McCarthy in 1954 during McCarthy's anti-communist witch hunt in Congress. In total...
October 14, 2015
Guns Are Cheaper at This Tennessee Store if You're a Christian (Daily Beast) Changes in College Chapel, Which Sparked Christian Outrage, Came from Christian Minister (Chronicle of Higher Education) Ben Carson: We're...
During Global Crises, Faith Groups are Unsung Heroes
Global crises fill news headlines day after day. ISIS' reign of terror in Iraq and Syria. The quasi-war in Ukraine. Boko Haram's violent actions in Nigeria. Sectarian conflict in the Central African Republic. Brutal...
3 Questions to Ask on Your Quest for Truth
1 Kings 10:1-13 tells the story of the queen of Sheba. The queen was clearly a wise, rich and important figure. She went to the considerable trouble of loading up her entourage and a fortune in rare spices, precious...
The Cure for Society’s Cultural ‘Autoimmune Disease’
Your body's immune system normally protects your body from disease and infection. But if you have an autoimmune disease, your body attacks healthy cells by mistake; your body declares war on itself. The human body is...
October 13, 2015
The Catholic Church's Inclusion Problem (TIME) Division Among Evangelicals May Impact Southern Political Power (WABE) First Rule of Church's Salmonella Outbreak: Don't Talk About It (New York Post) Obama: Those Talking...
A sad choice for last words
I haven't read Billy Graham's latest book -- advertised as the last one we can expect from the aged evangelist. By all reports, such as this one from the Religion News Service, it puts a lot of emphasis on hell as a...
The South Isn’t Alone in its Islamophobia
A citizen can look in any direction on almost any day and find confirmation of two observations that have informed many of us who chronicle and comment on inter-group conflicts. One is Else Frenkel-Brunswick's comment...
When Looking Good Trumps Being Good
Focus on your image because image is everything. Those words, or at least words to that effect, were the caption of a famous ad several years ago. I remember being taken aback by its crass and shallow message, but not...
5 Reasons Your Church Must Make Room at the Table
I've enjoyed working with several high-energy invigorated churches this past spring and summer. Being around them, considering God's calling for them and how to join God more fully on mission was delightful. Reflecting...
October 12, 2015
Why Religion Still Matters (Christian Science Monitor) Religion Scholar Says Spiritual Revolution Begins in Nature (Huffington Post) Fear of Islam Leads to Tennessee Bill Targeting Teaching of 'Religious Doctrine'...
When Your Small Church Has Too Much Money
Smaller churches often complain about not having any money. At times, however, the problem is that they have too much money. One small church that averages about 12 people each week told me they had more than $100,000...
Can Ministers and Churches Afford Each Other?
I had the opportunity to attend the Economics of Ministry Summit at Central Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS) in Shawnee, Kansas, "where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the students...
How You Can Stop Being ‘Scrooge with a Stopwatch’
Many of us have a troubled relationship with time. Carl Honore wrote an interesting book, "In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed," the idea for which came to him as he rushed...
October 9, 2015
Louisville Police Monitoring Planned Gun Rights Rally Outside Islamic Center (WFPL) Bible Event Publicized in Fliers Sent by California Public School District (Sacramento Bee) Ousted Orthodox Bishop Sues Church Leaders...
Concerns about Religious Liberty Restrictions Grows in U.S.
Freedom of religion in the U.S. is less secure now than it was 10 years ago. That is the opinion of 41 percent of adults according to a newly released Barna Group survey, up from 33 percent in 2012. This view is held...
Win or Lose: You Always Win Playing with Integrity
The University of Georgia's football coach, Mark Richt, was praised recently for his ethics and integrity. The USA Today article written by Dan Wolken cited Richt as being among the best in college football in these...