Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
What Two Winter Storms Say about Advancing Common Good
The worst of times and the best of times (so to speak) came two weeks apart in Atlanta, in a rare back-to-back visit of "winter events." The first resulted in thousands of commuters being caught in traffic gridlock for...
Tweets Accompany Premiere Screening of “Through the Door” in Richmond
Tweets gave EthicsDaily.com readers and Twitter followers an inside look at the premiere screening of a new documentary on prisons and faith, held on Feb. 17 at Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, Va. "Great crowd...
What Happens When Our Tithe Neglects the Poor?
Quite often Malachi 3:8-10 will be invoked in a sermon series on stewardship. It makes for a powerful message due to its strong accusation in verses 8-9. "Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me!" the prophet...
Study: Formerly Incarcerated Credit Religion with Positive Change
Religious involvement leads to positive life change for those released from prison, according to a recent study that will appear in a forthcoming publication of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and...
Why Your Church Should Consider an Older Pastor
There is an old joke that says the typical church seeks a pastor who is 35 years old, has 25 years of ministry experience, two children and a wife who plays the piano. After working with many churches in their search...
Will CVS Cigarette Decision Draw New Customers?
In a nation that cherishes choice, most of the time a decision between alternatives is made on a nonconsequential basis. It's simply a matter of preference. Should I choose one brand over another? One store over...
Building Interfaith Relationships – A Theology of Life
I visited Washington, D.C., recently with Sheikh Muhammad Abou Zaid, president of the Sunni Religious Court of the city of Saida in South Lebanon. The central piece of our visit was the National Prayer Breakfast, but...
If Jesus Was a Havoc Maker, What Are We?
Jesus was a maker of havoc, said the award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died from a heroin overdose. "My image of Jesus is someone who is exciting … Were he alive today, he would be causing havoc!" Perhaps...
Pass the Salt
A sermon by Bob Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. February 9, 2014 Matthew 5:13-16 This morning our attention is drawn to a hillside on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew tells us...
Salt and Light
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. February 9, 2014 Psalm 112:1-9; Matthew 5:13-16 I’ve never considered myself a picky eater. Not really. But there are some foods I simply...
Saltahakers & Candlesticks
A sermon by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. Fifth Sunday after Epiphany February 9, 2014 Matthew 5:13-20 Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12); Psalm 112:1-9 (10); I Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)...
The One Pervasive Addiction Almost All of Us Have
I once heard Anne Lamott talk about addiction. In her brilliant manner, she delivered the following wonderful comment: "I have been addicted to just about everything one can be in life, but gambling. And that is a huge...
Pakistani Muslims Who Work for Peace “ Part 2
During a recent meeting of the Interfaith Leaders Network in Nepal, I was in awe as I heard the stories of Pakistani Muslim peacemakers and learned about their work. I have faced many sorts of conflict and been in...
3 Advantages to Going Online for Your Daily Devotional
I have used a lot of different resources for my daily devotional time through the years. Most of the time my devotional life has involved Bible reading plans or devotional books with daily readings that include...
Another week, another storm …
Are we tired of snow yet? It's as beautiful as icing on a cake, but -- not unlike fluffy buttercream frosting -- it's possible to have too much of a good thing, even for Southerners who rarely see the stuff. I...
What Will It Take to Start Thinking About Prison Issues?
The sound of clanging jail or prison doors is jarring for me. I am slightly claustrophobic, and the rare occasions when I have gone behind bars were challenging. I was there to do a handbell program with the choir I...
Why I’m Opposed to Fundamentalist Calvinism “ Part 2
I have a recording of two well-known leaders of the new Calvinism who promote themselves as mainstream evangelicals. They are answering questions from an audience. The recording does not include where or when this took...
Pakistani Muslims Who Work for Peace “ Part 1
I was standing in line at the airport in Thailand on my way to Nepal when an American woman next to me asked my purpose for going. "I'm attending an important peacemaking gathering called the Interfaith Leaders...
Why I’m Opposed to Fundamentalist Calvinism “ Part 1
According to a recent article in The New York Times, I am the leading opponent of Calvinism – or the new Calvinism – in America today. I don't know where the writer, Mark Oppenheimer, got that idea. Certainly not from...
Language Provides Lens for Social Analysis
I attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts several years ago, and the professor of my screenplay-writing class took pains to warn me about it ahead of time. Knowing that I was a minister...
Nebraska Study: Lack of Rehabilitation a Factor in High Recidivism
A study of Nebraska's correctional system cited rehabilitative services as a key factor in addressing overcrowding, growing prison costs and high recidivism rates. "Corrections systems can grow commensurate with their...