Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Asking Questions: It’s Crucial to Your Faith Development
In Matthew 11, John the Baptist heard what Jesus was doing and sent his disciples to ask him: "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" What sparks this question? Matthew introduces John the...
Waiting Has Negative Impact on Humans, Positive Impact on God
Waiting is an inevitable part of life. Even people highly skilled at multi-tasking and time management cannot avoid waiting at some point in their day – red lights, checkout lines or doctor's offices, to offer a few...
Why Your Church Should Deep-Six Those Sign-Up Sheets
I was recently visiting a church when the pastor held up a sign-up sheet for some activity the church was having a few weeks later. He made the comment that if enough people didn't sign up for whatever they needed, the...
Treating Spinal Injury Patients in Nepal
Saru woke up unable to move her legs; she'd been unconscious for a week. She had no recollection of her family taking her to the hospital in Lucknow, India, of the doctors saying she would die or of her journey home to...
Perception of Clergy Ethics, Honesty Continues to Decline
Americans ranked clergy and other professions based on perceptions of their ethics and honesty in a December 2013 Gallup poll. "Gallup has asked Americans to rate the honesty and ethical standards of members of various...
Limbaugh Shows Idolatry to Capitalism; Pope Francis Calls for Renewal with Jesus Christ
Radio show host Rush Limbaugh accused Pope Francis of Marxism after the release of "Evangelli Gaudium" or "The Joy of the Gospel," a 50,000-word statement on proclaiming the gospel which begins with the pope's hope for...
On being useful …
This image from www.groveparkinn.com.Guests at Asheville's Grove Park Inn get lots of company on Sundays through Thursdays during the Christmas season, when the public is invited to view a display of top choices from...
Anti-Superstition Campaign in India Cost Dr. Nadrendra Dabholkar His Life
Earlier this year, Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, president of a prominent Indian rationalist organization, the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), or Committee for the Eradication of Blind Faith, was killed...
Why We Are So Quick to Condemn
In the United Kingdom, we are acutely conscious of the rising cost of electricity, and electric providers are replacing banks as "Public Enemy Number One." Two thoughts occur to me as I reflect on this media-led...
What Can Birthdays Teach Us About Advent?
One of the perks of growing older is that you not only get to celebrate a lot of people's birthdays but also many birthdays of the same people. It's quite an experience to remember a person's first cake-in-the-face...
‘Who’s who?’
By John Pierce Countless books land on my desk throughout the year. It’s one of the blessings and burdens of being an editor. (There are some really bad books out there.) However, receiving review copies of good...
Lessons Learned from Singing about Peace Amid Hostility
Israel made me nervous. In all my international travels, I had never been anywhere that I felt so unsafe. Before entering any of the shops in downtown Jerusalem, we had to have our bags searched for weapons. It seemed...
Why You Should Consider a Fast from Social Media
Last Lent I took a break from Facebook, Twitter and blogging. It did me good. I like to think that I am not addicted to social media, but there is no doubt that checking updates, posting comments and engaging in...
Why Some in Congress Want to Avoid the Wilderness
We have to assume, I think, that they didn't come as a cohort – the Pharisees and Sadducees, that is. Just some, maybe only a few, of each group appeared out there in the wilderness of Judea, where John the Baptizer...
Peace
A sermon by Howard Batson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Tx. Luke 2:25-35 December 8, 2013 This Sunday’s is the second Sunday of Advent – peace. The opposite of peace, of course, is war. We are at war with...
Paul’s Hallmark Thanksgiving Card
A sermon by Robert Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. November 24, 2013 Philippians 1:3-8 This morning our attention is drawn to the most personal letter Paul wrote. It was written to his friends at...
2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Mary
As I wade into Advent, the days of waiting, expectation and longing, I think about Mary, the mother of Jesus. I have been reflecting on Mary's reaction to Gabriel's announcement about the conception of her son in Luke...
How Christians Remove Christ from Christmas
We don't normally think of babies as dangerous, and certainly not the baby Jesus, but that's exactly how Matthew portrays him. He's a dangerous baby, a threat to the most powerful man on earth at the time – the Roman...
Christian Converts Often Denied Asylum by Agency
A few weeks ago, I had driven a woman and her children to my church service. She had escaped to Lebanon from a North African country following persecution. She had come to faith in Jesus Christ and became a Christian,...
Bapticostal Churches: Baptist Identity in the 21st Century
In recent years, London has been blessed with many new Baptist churches, which have brought fresh energy, cultural diversity and bore much fruit. Many have members who have come from a Pentecostal or charismatic...
Real Joy Ensures Everyone’s Basic Needs Are Met
The third Sunday of Advent focuses on joy, but what is joy and where can it be found? Like many experiences in life joy is easier to identify than define, but perhaps it would be accurate to say that joy is what makes...