Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Religious Diversity Most Prevalent in Asia-Pacific Region
The most religiously diverse nations are in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the Pew Research Center. Noting the difficulty of defining religious diversity, the report determined its findings based on "the...
Time to Exercise a Theology of Physical Fitness
Standing on the opposite side of what early Christians called "acedia" or sloth is the workaholic whose mind at the very least, and body often move compulsively. They function differently and, therefore, have unique...
Sharing Your Faith is Challenging Even in Christian Nations
Evangelism in countries where Christians are a minority has its challenges, but navigating the varying images of Jesus can be equally difficult where Christians are a majority. In Russia and Eastern Europe, despite a...
Rising Sign of Hope
A sermon by Michael Cheuk, Pastor, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va. April 6, 2014. John 11:1-45 This episode from the Gospel of John has often been called “The Raising of Lazarus.” And yet, it is...
The Crossroads of Faith
A sermon by Bob Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. April 6, 2014 John 11:1-16 Communion Devotion Our attention this morning is drawn to one of the most gripping stories in the Fourth Gospel. Mary,...
Taking Sin Seriously: Salvation
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. April 6, 2014 The Fifth Sunday in Lent Ezekiel 37:1-6 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set...
Seeing is Believing
A sermon by Howard Batson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Tx. John 20:1-18 April 6, 2014 “Seeing is believing.” No, I’m not referring to the Elvis song, nor to the 1941 mystery novel by Carter Dickson. ...
What Jesus Said…About the Resurrection and the Life
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. April 6, 2014 Fifth Sunday in Lent Ezekiel 37:1-10; John 11:1-45 Our story begins in a hospital sick-room. There are IV’s everywhere,...
Coming Attractions
A sermon by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. The Fifth Sunday of Lent John 11:1-45 April 6, 2014 Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11 Two weeks ago today, I unknowingly stepped...
Does this look like money?
A record was set April 9, though it didn't make many headlines. A clay cylinder marking Nebuchadnezzar II's reconstruction of a temple to Shamash (the sun God) in Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habbah, in Iraq) was auctioned...
Marriages Work Best with Mutually Submissive Spouses
When the Southern Baptist Convention's future hung in the balance, the mantra from fundamentalist pulpits was that inerrancy should be defended for the sake of the gospel. If you didn't believe in inerrancy, you didn't...
Diverse Reaction within Faith Community to Movie “Noah”
The movie "Noah" has ignited widespread reading of the biblical story found in Genesis, according to a Christian website. "Two of the most popular online destinations for Bible readers reported robust increases in...
How Do People of Other Faiths Perceive Jesus?
Who is Jesus to you? If Jesus were to walk in the room right now, what would he look like? What would he say to you? What would you say to him? Your answers to these questions will be dependent on a number of things....
Are You More Likely to Lose Your Religion if You’re Online?
The more we're online as a society, the less religious we are. According to MIT's Technology Review, a new study by computer scientist Allen Downey of the Olin College of Engineering concludes, "Internet use decreases...
Skype Interview: Robin Sandbothe on Social Media
Seminaries have to get social, too. Robin Sandbothe, director of seminary relations for Central Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS) in Kansas, talks about how the seminary views social media in light of a site...
Why You Don’t Need to Fear Interfaith Activities
The Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES) is intentionally involved in a range of interfaith activities. Within Lebanon, this usually involves bringing together evangelical Christians with both Sunni and Shi'ite...
Why Science and Faith Don’t Have To Be At Odds
The challenge of being religiously faithful and scientifically honest has been with us since Copernicus and Galileo challenged prevailing understandings of how the universe is structured. The "Darwin period" – which is...
“Beneath the Skin” to Be Screened in Metro Detroit
Seeking to address the racial division in Detroit, the Metropolitan Detroit Association of American Baptist Churches (MDA-ABC) will screen Beneath the Skin: Baptists and Racism with a panel discussion at First Baptist...
NBCA Presidential Race Includes Documentary Interviewee
Sam Tolbert has announced that he is running for the presidency of the National Baptist Convention of America Inc. (NBCA), with the election to be held June 25, 2014, in Memphis, Tenn. NBCA is one of the major...
Peter Thomas Stanford: From Slave to Baptist Minister
Peter Thomas Stanford was born on a plantation in Virginia and kidnapped by Native Americans. But from these unpromising beginnings, he would go on to become an educated and respected justice campaigner who crossed the...
It’s Not Just What You Give to Church but Why
What is every pastor's least favorite sermon topic? If I had to guess what most would list, it would be tithing. It is an oft-avoided topic in many pulpits, perhaps due to a feeling that it will appear to be...