Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Should We Elect a Muslim President?
Ben Carson stirred up the latest Republican primary tempest last weekend when he volunteered the opinion that he "would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation." What should we make of this...
September 25, 2015
$2.5 Million to Go to Church, Families of Charleston Shooting Victims (CBS News) Extremist Islamists in Bangladesh Publish Global Hit List of Bloggers and Writers (CNN) Nuns Get a Papal Shoutout (CNN) Canadian Baptists...
Explore the Civil War — and its continuing impact
By John Pierce There is a wonderful opportunity on Oct. 22-23 in Chattanooga, Tenn., to gain new insights into the American Civil War that ended 150 years ago. Please consider joining us for this informative and...
Living Lives of Faith in Our Fearful Society
We live in a fearful society. I remember going to school after the 1999 Columbine massacre and meeting in the auditorium to learn about our now necessary lock-down procedures. The fear of going to school and dying...
Taking Our Overstimulated Grandeur Down a Notch
There are now more than 7 billion people on this earth, and each one of us feels that he or she is the center of the universe. That accounts for most of the problems we have in the world, in our neighborhoods and in...
Showing Kindness When Everyone Else Thinks It’s Weird
Near the end of my morning walk, I walked past two men who were ambling in the opposite direction and having a lively conversation with each other. The street was busy and noisy, but I heard one phrase, "Yeah, he was...
September 24, 2015
Mike Huckabee: Obama Pretends to be a Christian (CNN) Pope Francis and City of Washington Embrace Each Other on Historic Visit (USA Today) Female Priests Persevere Despite Being Banned From Catholic Church (ABC News)...
What Yogi said — and to whom he said it
By John Pierce Yogi Berra died yesterday at age 90. News of his death has been overshadowed a bit by a visitor from the Vatican. Timing matters, I guess. Groucho Marx made a similar miscalculation in 1977 when he died...
On Sweden Trip: Reflections on Church, Refugee Crisis
I was able to join my husband, Kevin, in Stockholm, Sweden, last week. He was representing the American Diabetes Association at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Meeting. At meetings like this, I...
Interfaith Leaders Commit to Help End Hunger by 2030
Bread for the World released Tuesday morning, Sept. 22, a statement signed by Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders urging a broad commitment, transcending religious and political differences, to end hunger by 2030....
Why Churches Should Support UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs for short) may not sound very exciting, but they are set to make a huge impact on how governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses and BMS World Mission approach the...
September 23, 2015
As the Pope Visits Washington, Organized Religion's Political Dominance Ebbs (Washington Post) Meet the Evangelical Pastor and Liberty University Alum Who's Feeling the Bern (New York Magazine) A Muslim Daughter and...
Addressing Underlying Causes of Europe’s Refugee Crisis
The mass movement of migrants and refugees is neither primarily nor originally a European crisis. It is a crisis in the home countries of men, women and children fleeing violence, corruption, oppression, poverty and...
3 Reasons People Over 60 Leave Your Church
Churches have been scrambling to attract young adults for the last few decades. Reaching this age group is a momentous task that requires changes in worship, leadership, preaching and outreach. Much of this change has...
Pope Francis Kicks off 6-Day Visit to U.S. Today
Most Protestants, perhaps, have not paid a lot of attention to what the pope has said and done through the years. But things have changed somewhat since Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope in...
September 22, 2015
Polling: How Francis, Catholic Church Fare Among Americans (Voice of America) Monroe Church Surprises Louisiana State Police With Gifts (KNOE) Legal Settlement with Armenian Church Lets Getty Museum Keep Prized...
Grateful for early investments, ongoing influences
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Yesterday, Highland Hills Baptist Church in Macon, Ga., celebrated the 20 years of faithful service by children’s minister Ruth DuCharme and preschool ministry director Carol Brown. So I have invited a...
The Secret to Pull Your Small Church Out of Mediocrity
I challenge the attendees of my smaller-church workshops to focus the ministries of their congregation on one or two things they can do with excellence. Many smaller churches are trying to do too many things. Often,...
Survey: U.S. Majority Views Pope Favorably as U.S. Visit Nears
Sixty percent of U.S. adults have a positive perception of Pope Francis, up from 54 percent in 2014, according to a Barna Research Group report. The pope polled most favorably among "Gen-Xers" (born between 1965 and...
Holocaust’s Lessons Call Us to Protect, Cherish Humanity
I have a very good friend who every now and again passes on his used copies of The Tablet and The Times Literary Supplement (TLS). The first is a long established Catholic weekly full of news, reflection, critique and...
September 21, 2015
Ben Carson: U.S. Shouldn't Elect a Muslim President (CNN) Trump Courts Skeptical Christian Conservatives in Iowa (Bloomberg) Gay Marriage Fight Shifts as Politicians Spy an Opportunity (ABC News) Three Injured in...