Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
September 12, 2015
Raising a Church at Ground Zero (Christianity Today) Evangelical Ministers Rarely Leave Their Calling (Columbus Dispatch) Kansas Denies Worker Was Fired For Not Attending Bible Studies (Washington Times) Ohio Church...
What religious freedom is not
We've all read or heard ad nauseum about Kim Davis, the head clerk of court in Rowan County, Kentucky, who spent a few days in jail for contempt after refusing a judge's order to comply with the law of the land and...
Your Library: A Crucial Part of Society’s Social Fabric
A combination of shadow and light, curve and line, an ascending spiral toward the light of the sky beyond the glass roof. This is what you see when you step inside the library building at Aberdeen University in...
10 Tips for Ministers to Strengthen Their Marriages
When it comes to marriage, I chose wisely. I can readily identify with Winston Churchill's assessment: "My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me." This week, my wife,...
Pope Francis, Jane Goodall and Prayers for Creation
Tuesday, Sept. 1, was a special day. By declaration of Pope Francis, it was the first World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. For several weeks, the current pope has been making news with his strong affirmation...
September 11, 2015
Social Media Forces Beverly Church to Remove Message (Chicago Tribune) Carson Pulls Punches as Trump Pounces (CNN) Ben Carson's Theocratic Lie: The Pernicious Myth of America the “Christian Nation” (Salon) Is...
Baptist Volunteers Help Welcome Refugees in Austria
More than 13,000 people arrived in Vienna as refugees two weekends ago. Many of them were clearly traumatized and in need of emergency medicine. All of them were exhausted. Some of them had started the journey by...
Religious Certainty – The New Face of Blasphemy?
We don't hear much about the "unpardonable sin" anymore, and that is probably a good thing. Its presence in Christian tradition has been a cause of unhealthy anxiety. It has even driven some to the brink of despair and...
Ze or Xyr Proposed to Replace Gender Pronouns He and She
If some American universities get their way, "ze" and "xyr" will replace the gender pronouns "he" and "she" in the English language. The University of Tennessee's Office of Diversity and Inclusion published a letter on...
September 10, 2015
National Baptist Convention Floods Memphis for Mega Convention (Commercial Appeal) Southern Baptist Pastor, Seminary Professor Outed on Ashley Madison Commits Suicide (Huffington Post) New Orleans Seminary Community...
Reclamation
By John Pierce Images of Lula Lake and its cascading falls — atop Lookout Mountain where Georgia nears Tennessee — were popular during the postcard era. You can find them on eBay with dates like 1902, 1910 and 1924....
Rejuvenate Bible Study with EthicsDaily.com Curriculum
How can you rejuvenate your Bible study, care for creation and save money? Use one of 17 undated, PDF curriculum units published by Acacia Resources - a division of EthicsDaily.com. Ranging from five to 13 weeks in...
Respond to Injustice with Your Presence
There are times when Christians feel forced to join in with a "cause" in the world. Most often we are presented with a claim for justice in this "cause." We are told that to be silent amid this injustice is to already...
Do Christianity and Science Oppose Each Other?: Part 2
One of my favorite theologians is the late Emil Brunner, Karl Barth's nemesis and counterpart in the dialectical theology movement in Switzerland in the 1920s through the 1950s. I say "nemesis" because they had a very...
September 9, 2015
Kim Davis Released, But Judge Bars Her From Withholding Marriage Licenses (CNN) National Baptist Convention Addresses Crime in the Bluff City (WREG) Pennsylvania Church Sign Stirs Controversy (WFMZ) Rainbow Flag...
How Your Beliefs Shape Your Relationships
Mark 7:24-37 where Jesus is challenged by the Syrophoenician woman to provide healing is among the more challenging texts for congregations and preachers. Deeply troubling for centuries of interpreters is Jesus'...
Do Christianity and Science Oppose Each Other?: Part 1
American conservative Christianity, especially conservative evangelical theology influenced by fundamentalism, still struggles with science. And, of course, many scientists struggle with religion - except that which is...
Reflecting God’s Character in Our Civility
There's more than a year to go before the presidential election, and, already, I am weary with the campaign. When I can manage simply to view the candidates as performers, some talented and others not so much, and hear...
September 8, 2015
The National Baptist Convention Starts Its Week-Long Memphis Convention (New3 Memphis) Texas Lawyer Exposes Religious Hiring Test for Peace Officers: County Only Wanted Baptist Constables (Raw Story) Video of Pensacola...
How Your Preaching May Be Like a Mock Reality Show
My 7-year-old daughter is presently obsessed - like, watching every episode three times on BBC's iPlayer obsessed - by a Children's BBC show called "The Next Step." I have grown somewhat used to children's TV over the...
September 7, 2015
Muslim Flight Attendant Says She Was Suspended for Refusing to Serve Alcohol (CNN) Tennessee Judge Refuses to Grant Couple a Divorce Because … Gay Marriage (Washington Post) Mike Huckabe on Kim Davis: Obey the Law Only...