Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
February 4, 2015
Judge Rules in Favor of Group that Left Episcopal Church (Charleson Post & Courier) Christian-Owned Bakery Risks Large Fine for Anti-Gay Discrimination (USA Today) Local Baptists Object to Plans for Craft Beer...
6 Realities for Your Small Church’s Pastor Search
It is becoming increasingly difficult for smaller churches to find pastors due to a growing number of retiring ministers and a shrinking number of younger ministers willing to serve smaller churches. Therefore, there...
British Faith Groups Pledge Action on Climate Change
As Bristol, the sixth largest city in England, became the 2015 European Green Capital, Christian Aid chair and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams marked the occasion with a stark warning about the spiritual...
Economic Inequality Is Pressing Challenge for the Church
The gap between the super rich and everyone else continues to expand. "In 2014, the richest 1 percent of people in the world owned 48 percent of global wealth," a January 2015 Oxfam report said. The remaining 52...
February 3, 2015
Indiana Senate Poised to Allow Hiring Based on Religion (USA Today) American Bible Society Bids Farewell to New York After Two Centuries (Huffington Post) Korean Minister's Bond With Liberty University Changed...
15 challenging, rewarding years
By John Pierce Fifteen years ago (Feb. 1, 2000) I embarked on a new and different journey as executive editor of Baptists Today, an autonomous, national news journal based in Macon, Ga. It has been a demanding yet...
February 2, 2015
Mike Huckabee Expresses Opposition to Gay Marriage at FBC Charlotte (Charlotte Observer) Huckabee Gains Encouragement for Presidential Bid from First Baptist Church Jacksonville (St. Augustine Record) Scott Walker...
What’s the Most Besetting Problem in U.S. Churches?
Robert Nisbet's classic work, "The Quest for Community," which I read recently, is a challenging and far-sighted book that attributes much of modernity's unease to the collapse of the mediating institutions – village,...
Consider How Your Words Can Heal or Hurt
The first clause of the theological masterpiece, which is the Gospel of John, proclaims "In the beginning was the Word." The first words of God at the beginning of all things, according to that equally remarkable...
Baptist Student Union’s Dissent Against Vietnam
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Vietnam War divided Americans, including American Protestants. By this time, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) had surpassed the Methodists as the largest Protestant denomination in...
Old stuff, new news
Folks who are interested in archaeology might be interested in a few tidbits about old stuff in the current news. The Islamic extremists behind the ISIS movement continue to demonstrate their inhumanity: not only do...
Education, Criminal Justice Focus of Governors’ Outlooks
Twenty-nine U.S. governors discussed their states' economic, infrastructure, taxation and healthcare systems in their State of the State addresses in January. Most shared positive economic outlooks, contrasting sharply...
Remembering Thomas Merton, Interfaith Dialogue Champion
Growing up in rural northwest Missouri, I didn't have much opportunity to know people who belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. My years in two Baptist colleges and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary didn't afford...
January 30, 2015
West Tennessee Pastors Talk About Church Integration (WBBJ, TN) Fostering Multiethnic Churches Easier Said Than Done, Pastors Say (Baptist News Global) Nashville Evangelical Church Comes Out for Marriage Equality...
3 Ways to Engage Bivocational Pastors, Churches
I frequently receive e-mails from bivocational pastors who tell me they feel lonely and ignored by their denominations. Because of their other jobs, they often cannot attend pastor gatherings held during the daytime....
Goodwill Profiles Reveal Little-Known Musical Talents
Ninety-seven "Profiles in Goodwill" have appeared on EthicsDaily.com since September 2014. The profiles highlight the background, interests and personalities of people connected to the organization from around the...
January 29, 2015
American Bible Society to Consolidate Office and HQ to Philadelphia (Philadelphia Business Journal) 'Religious Freedom' Bill Debate Heats up at Georgia Capitol (WABE, GA) Georgia Baptist Clergy Oppose 'Religious...
Baptists Expand Their Mission Work in Netherlands
The Union of Baptist Churches (UBC) in the Netherlands was founded in 1881 with seven churches. Today, it reports about 80 churches with approximately 11,000 members. Although most Baptists trace their history to the...
Guatemalan Ministry Brings Life and Hope: Part 2
Standing in the city cemetery in Guatemala City, a contradictory mix of life and death covers the landscape. A nearby ministry started by a Guatemala Baptist leader seeks to tip the balance toward life. Because people...
Profiles in Goodwill: Mark Tidsworth
Mark Tidsworth is president of Pinnacle Leadership Associates. Mark's articles that have appeared on EthicsDaily.com are available here. 1. Where did you grow up? I was born in Mousie, Kentucky, and spent most of my...
January 28, 2015
President Obama Talks Religion, Race in India Farewell (ABC News) Birmingham Ranked No. 1 Most 'Bible-Minded City' (Birmingham News) Evangelical Political Operative Reveals Plan to Fundamentally Transform America – And...