Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
5 Lessons Learned from Taking a Tech Sabbath
I am addicted to the Internet, and I imagine I'm not the only one. The first thing I do in the morning is to check not only my email, but also my Twitter feed, Facebook page and Instagram posts. I also use several apps...
July 29, 2014
Religion Remains a Strong Marker of Political Identity in U.S. (Gallup) Millions Flee Homes Due to Religion (SkyNews) Editor Fired for Criticizing “Queen James Bible” Fights Back (New American) Iraq's Beleaguered...
Paying it forward … with blueberries
A friend of mine -- who shall remain unnamed in defense of his blueberry patch and because he doesn't do it for personal attention -- offers a beautiful example of selfless kindness in Jesus' name. He grows blueberries...
The Great War ”A Tragedy Supported by Many Churches
War began in Europe in July 1914, 100 years ago today. It was originally called the Great War—great meaning "notably large in size"—but after a second war that was even greater in size, it has come to be known as World...
Resisting the Cultural Urge to Buy, Buy, Buy
Earlier this year, our family switched to an energy company that uses more renewable energy and was less expensive than other providers. I looked at our usage online recently, which revealed that in the summer months...
July 28, 2014
Religion on Wikipedia is a Recipe for Controversy as 'Edit Wars' Rage On (Huffington Post) Religion Meets Environment in Western North Carolina (Asheville Citizen-Times) Church Services Held at Tatoo Parlor on South...
July 26, 2014
Ex-Mars Hill Church Members: 'We Are Not Anonymous' (Seattle Post Intelligencer) Historic Mt. Airy Church a Total Loss After Lightning Strike (MyFox8) The Beta Marriage: How Millennials Approach 'I Do' (TIME) Brazil:...
How to Hijack a Religious Tradition
Randall Balmer's recent analytical biography of Jimmy Carter, titled "Redeemer," offers a thoroughly researched and insightful review of an evolution in the evangelical narrative that coincided with Carter's...
Christian University in Ukraine Forced to Evacuate
Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine have forced a Christian university to evacuate its buildings and have taken over the campus. "Donetsk has become the stronghold of the separatist bands of armed soldiers in the...
July 25, 2014
'Bibliotheca' Bible Project Blows up on Kickstarter With Chapterless Bible (Huffington Post) Critics Charge Wisconsin With Incorrectly Applying Hobby Lobby to State Law (Madison Cap Times) Fifty-Two Catholic Priests...
What a shame!
By John Pierce Three Southern Baptist “biblical counseling experts” have given advice to families with gay or lesbian children. And their advice is frighteningly unloving and unhealthy. According to a Baptist Press...
Does Your Church Have a Trusting Leadership Culture?
Some of the very best days I have known in ministry have revolved around high-functioning staff friendships and relationships. Seeing plans come together, an organization take off or a worship experience exceed...
Islamic State Forces Christians Out of Iraqi City
Christians in Mosul have been ordered to leave the city or face execution by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) militants. As a result, Mosul is empty of Christians for the first time in the country's history. According...
July 24, 2014
Same-Sex Marriage and Religion: When a Pastor is Re-Frocked (The Economist) How LGBT Students are Changing Christian Colleges (The Atlantic) Abortion Protestors Interrupt Church Service, Tell Pro-Choice Worshippers to...
Baptists Around the World Avoid Cultural Groupthink
It is all too easy for us to take on, osmosis-like, the group norms of our culture. Patterns of thinking, informal norms of acceptable and unacceptable levels of emotion and conflict, unwritten shared assumptions about...
Asking Wrong Questions About Bivocational Ministry
Several seminary students contacted me in recent months to discuss bivocational ministry. It's always exciting to receive these calls because it's an indicator of a growing recognition of the value bivocational...
July 23, 2014
In 30 Countries, Heads of States Must Belong to a Certain Religion (Pew Research Center) Creationist Ken Ham Calls to End Space Program Because Aliens are Going to Hell Anyway (Raw Story) Children Exposed to Religion...
Paul’s hill
Have you ever wanted to visit Athens, Greece, and lay eyes on the magnificent Parthenon, standing proudly on the acropolis above the ancient city? You can -- though the ancient city is mainly paved with asphalt, and...
Atheists Often Reject a Caricature of God
It's a curious thing that the first Christians were called atheists. Obviously, that wasn't because they didn't believe in the existence of any god; it was because they didn't believe in the existence of any of the...
Faith Leaders Call for Compassion Toward Undocumented Children
Faith leaders have called their followers to be compassionate toward the undocumented children crossing in large numbers into the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. "We do not understand all that these children have...
A Plea to Christian, Muslim and Jewish Friends
Israeli assault on Gaza. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria's (ISIS') assault on everybody. The U.S. assault on Iraq, still vivid in everyone's memory. Self-proclaimed Muslims attacking the twin towers in New York...