Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Following the Prince of Peace in a Conflicted World
The word "peace" conjures up different things to different people. I am a child of the 1960s, so my generation links peace with hippies, anti-Vietnam war protests and free love. Others think of beauty queens declaring...
When Opposing Sides Find Middle Ground, We All Win
On Dec. 1, 1990, Phillippe Cozette, a French construction worker, reached a grimy hand through a tiny crack in a rock wall and grabbed the similarly dirty hand of Graham Fagg of Great Britain. That handshake, between a...
Why Today’s Ministers Must Have a “Plan B”
My grandfather adhered to the position that the pastor of a Baptist church should preach on Sunday and "have a real job" the rest of the week. He was proud of me when I became a minister, but I am not sure that he ever...
Getting Rich on Human Suffering
An acquaintance of mine owned and operated a small finance company years ago. He loaned money to individuals who couldn't get a loan from a bank because of various reasons--inconsistent employment, insufficient annual...
May 26, 2014
Friendship Baptist Church Holds Last Service at Historic Site (Atlanta Journal Constitution) How 'Game of Thrones' is Like America (CNN) Church Pulls 'Hell' Sign After Police Probe (USA Today) Capitalism and 'The...
With gratitude, remembering Vincent Harding
By John Pierce Vincent Harding, who established a Mennonite ministry of justice and reconciliation in Atlanta in the ’60s, and wrote speeches for Martin King Jr., and later a biography titled, Martin Luther King: The...
May 24, 2014
The Myth of a 'War on Religion' (The Atlantic) Religious Freedom in Mississippi (PBS) The Least Free Countries in the World for Religion (Huffington Post) City, Church Top Bidder to Buy Morris Brown for $14.6 Million...
Performancitis
I don't know Jamie Brown, but in a recent blog post that's well worth reading, he nailed something that I've been thinking for a long time: much of today's worship suffers from an entertainment mentality in which...
Australian Baptists Grade Ethics of Electronics Companies
Baptist World Aid Australia released a report this week grading electronics companies based on their ethical practices. Practices used included paying a living wage, protecting workers and ethically sourcing materials....
Offering Pastoral Comfort, Prophetic Witness on Memorial Day
Memorial Day, like other patriotic holidays, poses a significant challenge for Christian leaders. How do you acknowledge the occasion while maintaining the focus of Christian worship on God as revealed in Jesus Christ?...
Muslim Leaders Condemn Kidnapping of Nigerian Girls “ Part 2
The hashtag #bringbackourgirls has become a Twitter phenomenon in response to Boko Haram's kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls. I asked three Muslim religious leaders and experts in Islamic jurisprudence from Lebanon to...
May 23, 2014
Group Decries Iowa Funding for Bible-Themed Park (Times-Republican) Evangelicals in Florida Turn to Climate Change and Call on Gov. Scott to Act (Tampa Bay Times) Head of Bible College in Marion Arrested for Forced...
Building God’s People
A sermon by Michael Cheuk, Pastor, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va. May 18, 2014. 1 Peter 2:2-10 Our New Testament lesson this morning is taken from 1 Peter and at the heart of our assigned passage is a...
Built of Living Stones
A sermon by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. The Fifth Sunday after Easter I Peter 2:2-10 May 18, 2014 Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; John 14:1-14; Acts 7:55-60 As historical accounts attest,...
The Cure for a Troubled Heart
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. May 18, 2014 The Fifth Sunday of Easter John 14:1-14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house...
That’s not all!
By John Pierce Back in March, a dramatic reading of the biblical text as part of worship provided new insight (or, at least, a new phrase) for me. The Gospel lesson for the first Sunday in Lent recalled the temptations...
‘Godzilla’
I was fully prepared to love the new "Godzilla" film. After the debacle that was the 1998 version, anything would be a better adaptation of the legendary monster. The new film did not disappoint. The monsters looked...
Social Capital: Partnering with a Local School District
Social capital is a commodity best understood in the same way one might appreciate the value of making modest, regular contributions to a savings account and trusting the power of time and interest. The community...
Muslim Leaders Condemn Kidnapping of Nigerian Girls
The kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian girls from their school by the Islamist group Boko Haram has shocked the world. I asked three Muslim religious leaders and experts in Islamic jurisprudence from Lebanon to share...
May 22, 2014
Baptists, Just Without the Baptisms (The Atlantic) Public Schools New Evangelical Mission (Lancaster Eagle Gazette) School Board Members Met Privately on Bible Class (ABC News) Mississippi Religious Law Seen as...
Social Capital: Doing Earthly Good with Education, Food Help
Johnny Cash once lamented in song, "You're so heavenly minded you're no earthly good." Cash's criticism may be on the mark for a few of the thousands of faith communities in our country. The vast majority of...