Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Four down, three to go …
On the last morning of a three-day tour of the “seven churches of Revelation,” we set out to visit Laodicea, Philadelphia, and Sardis – but not before a long stop at Hieropolis (Pamukkale), a large city that sat atop a...
Does Microfinance Industry Need a Reality Check?
I bought a five-year bond issued by the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFI) in 2009. I invested £5,000 ($8,566) and received £5,810 ($9,954) a few days ago, with accumulated interest. Not the best...
Syrian Refugee Families Facing Brutal Winter
Even in the land of sunshine, it rains. In Lebanon, approximately four months out of the year temperatures drop to below freezing and sunny skies give way to torrents of relentless rain. Bad news for those living in...
Christians Give Witness for Peace with Twitter
A Twitter hashtag promoting peace during the World Cup showed up abundantly in my TweetDeck, a tool that allows one to track tweets. The hashtag was #pauseforpeace. It was an adept idea launched by the Pontifical...
July 15, 2014
Church of England to Allow Female Bishops (CNN) Pope Francis: 'About 2% of Catholic Clergy Pedophiles (BBC) Tweeting in Church? Sacred, Social Media Worlds Blend (Raleigh News Observer) Survey: Republicans Confuse...
A long day’s journey into night …
I’ve never been hung up on John’s Apocalypse, so a “Seven Churches of Revelation” tour was never on my bucket list, but that’s what you do when you’re a Christian pilgrim in Turkey. About 70 folk who attended the...
5 Practices Followed by Peacemaking Churches
I recently attended a conference at the Naval War College in Rhode Island on "Religion and Security in World Affairs." I loved the lectures and the lively interaction. Yet something deeper was being stirred in me. I...
Middle Eastern Baptists Share Fears, Hopes as Minority Faith
Three Baptists from Middle Eastern nations shared about Baptist identity and witness in their countries, stressing how they live as a minority group in their nations and sharing their efforts to build bridges with...
Putting an Upside-Down World Right-Side Up
The book of Acts makes clear that the work of God's Holy Spirit will highlight, not diminish, the differences between God's people and the rest of the world. The first nine verses of chapter 17 indicate Paul and Silas...
Hot times in Ephesus
Ephesus is known to Christian folk mainly from Paul's visit in Acts 19 and the letter he later wrote to the church there. I don't know how big the church was, but the city was huge. And in the summer, it was hot. It...
July 12, 2014
Urban Poverty, in Black and White (CNN) 'We Just Need to be the Church,' Says Anti-Poverty Activist (ABP) Southern Baptists Join Other Conservatives in Calling for Repeal of Houston's Non-Discrimination Ordinance...
Walk about Izmir …
One of the best things about being involved in the Baptist World Alliance is the opportunity to visit global cities that you might not see otherwise. I have a hard time visiting any such city for more than a day...
Global Baptists Urged to Engage in Advocacy
Global Baptist speakers urged greater advocacy—especially for religious freedom—among churches and conventions at the local, national and international levels at the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA)...
Tree of Faith Needs Both Roots and Branches to Grow
A recent review of "emerging Christianity" with the help of Phyllis Tickle's overview and analysis in her book, "Emergence Christianity," offered a helpful reminder of both the constant ferment and growing edge of a...
As Christians Flee Iraq, Doors of Opportunity Remain Open
Some six days before the fall of Mosul and seven before the capture of Tikrit by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) insurgents, Baghdad itself—only 87 miles away—already seemed a city under siege. Any...
Christian leaders, corruption, and the church
The world has no shortage of political and business leaders -- or church leaders -- who fall prey to greed, corruption, or selfish behavior. Does the church have a role to play in helping such leaders resist temptation...
July 11, 2014
WV Mom Sparks Backlash for Posing on Twitter with Bible, Gun, and American Flag (New York Daily News) How America's Biblical Ignorance Enables the Christian Right (Salon) Crafty Activists are Trolling Hobby Lobby by...
Invitation to Rest
A sermon by Michael Cheuk, Pastor, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va. July 6, 2014. Matthew 11:16-30 We are now in the heart of summer, and many of us are looking forward to taking our vacations. In the...
Apodote
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. July 6, 2014 Exodus 33:12-23; Matthew 22:15-22 I’ve got the routine down pretty well, since I’ve been doing it this way for a number of...
You Never Know
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. June 29, 2014 Psalm 89:1-8; Matthew 10:40-42 I read an essay recently by a minister who had returned to visit a congregation he had...
Don’t Trample on Love
A sermon by Robert Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. June 22, 2014 Romans 6:1b-11 Our attention today is focused on a challenge from the Apostle Paul. We’ll find it in his letter to the Romans....