Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
2 Events Test First Amendment’s Balancing Point
There is a delicate balance of the First Amendment's protection of freedom of religious thought and expression, and its protection from intrusions of that freedom on that of others. This equilibrium seems to be tilted...
Managing the Balancing Act of Bivocational Ministry
When folks in ministry circles learn that I serve bivocationally in the contexts of a local church and a theological school, they inevitably ask, "Did you choose bivocational ministry?" Implied in the query perhaps are...
Baptists in Nation of Georgia Grapple with Unity, Minority Status – Part 2
Like Baptists in many former Soviet-bloc nations, Baptists in Georgia remain a small faith tradition. This minority status impacts how Georgia Baptists view themselves, even amid a controversy over homosexuality. The...
October 1, 2015
Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Met Privately with Pope Francis, Vatican Confirms (Washington Post) Donald Trump's Saving Grace: Televangelists (Politico) Biblical Decals Removed from Alabama Sheriff's Vehicles (Montgomery...
This is hospital food?
I didn't realize how much competition was heating up between hospitals in Raleigh until I got the Room Service Menu my first day here. What I remembered about hospital food was an orderly who came in the evening and...
3 Things that Pope Francis Taught Us about Jesus
If you live in Washington, D.C., New York City or Philadelphia, everything about your life patterns last week was altered by these words, "The pope's in town." We changed our commute times. We braved the crowds and...
Baptists in Nation of Georgia Divide over Homosexuality – Part 1
A small community of Baptists in the former Soviet-bloc nation of Georgia has divided over issues of homosexuality during the past two years. The nation of Georgia straddles the divide between Europe and Asia,...
The Better Angels of Our Nature Appeared for a Week
The week of Sept. 21 was the week that the better angels of our nature were visibly - personally, corporately, globally - initiated by different houses in the faith community. Cliff Vaughn, EthicsDaily.com's media...
September 30, 2015
Taxpayers Fund Christian-Focused Congressional Prayer Caucus (Deseret News) Conference on Religious Justifications and Legacy of the Civil War is Oct 22-23 (Chattanoogan) For Catholic Schools, South is New Fertile Soil...
Razor Wire Isn’t Needed to Protect Christianity
Razor wire is now stretched along a 110-mile Hungarian border. The razor wire protects the Christian culture of Hungary from the Muslims, according to Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Jesus is the Christ from whom the word...
Christian Schools in Israel Reopen After Month-Long Strike
Leaders of the Israeli government and the nation's Christian schools have reached an agreement enabling students to return to school. Christian schools went on strike Sept. 1 to protest several years of decreased...
The Beginning of the End for Baptist Entities?
The recent news stories describing the massive layoffs at the International Mission Board (IMB) of Southern Baptists, the nearly 50 percent downsizing of the Florida Baptist Convention staff, the continued erosion of...
September 29, 2015
'In God We Trust' Decals on Atlanta Area Sheriff's Cars Prompts Debate (WSBTV) Pope: Workers Have 'Human Right' to Refuse Same-Sex Marriage Licenses (NBC News) Prestonwood Baptist Church to Host October Forum for...
4 Ways You Can Curb Growth of Landfills Today
U.S. citizens send five pounds of trash per person per day into landfills, according to a recent study by Yale University's Center for Industrial Ecology. Yale's analysis determined that 262 million tons of garbage was...
Christmas in September
I've been like a kid waiting for Christmas, and its finally here. After months of pain and canes and crutches, my place in the surgical waiting line finally comes up this afternoon, and I get to trade in the wrecked...
Pope Calls Attention to Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton
True to form, Pope Francis demonstrated humility in his way of interacting with all people, not only those in secular or sacred halls of power, during his trip to the U.S. last week. A pontiff who prefers to eat with...
4 Lessons to Move Your Church to Engaging Worship
One of the great joys of my work is the opportunity to worship with a great variety of faith communities from varying denominational traditions. Some are liturgically oriented, while others chafe at the mention of the...
September 28, 2015
Before Pope's Farewell Mass, Visits with Bishops and Inmates (New York Times) Pope: 'God Weeps' for Abuse Victims (CNN) Baptist Church in Georgia Votes to Remove Pastor for Ejecting 103-Year-Old Member (Christian...
Redeeming the skewed up church
By John Pierce The highly publicized visit of Pope Francis to the U.S. provides an opportunity to reflect upon the historic as well as much-needed, ongoing efforts at church reform — from the large, opulent expression...
Pope Francis, President Obama Emphasize Religious Liberty
The White House released Wednesday morning, Sept. 23, following a private meeting between Pope Francis and President Obama, a fact sheet expressing a commitment to "advancing shared values for a better world." This...
British Report: Christianity Far From Being Extinct
Most people like the Christians they know while the vast majority of the population still identify with the Christian faith. Fifty-seven percent of people in England call themselves Christians (though a fraction of...