Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Ugandan Food Project Leads to Restored Dignity, Dreams
Nine years ago, 78 percent of northern Uganda's Gulu District were living in abject poverty, internally displaced and dependent on supplies from the World Food Programme (WFP) to even survive. Today, 12 communities in...
When Jesus Said Not to Worry, What Did He Mean?
One of the more comforting passages from the teachings of Jesus is found in Luke 12:22-34, where Jesus commands his listeners not to worry about the concerns of life, for God will take care of them. But is this really...
5 Guides for Constructive Conversation with Your Opponents
New Testament scholar, Marcus Borg, found impetus for his doctoral thesis in an intriguing question posed by his adviser, George B. Caird. Borg recalls: "As we were talking about possible topics, he said to me, 'Let's...
Forget Fictional Zombies; Celebrate the Real Living Dead
First it was vampires; now it is zombies. Our appetite for the bizarre and scary seems to know no end. Of course, film-wise, it all started in 1968 when George Romero directed the cult classic, "Night of the Living...
Why Many of Us Struggle to Understand Suicide
Sadly, today, there are many deaths by suicide. Very few people have not been deeply affected by the suicide of a loved one. In the United States alone, there are more than 33,000 suicides a year. That averages out to...
How Much Hospitality Can Lebanon Offer Syrian Refugees?
The Lebanese interior minister stated recently that, at the current rate of Syrian refugees crossing the border into Lebanon, by the end of the year Lebanon would be host to 2 million Syrian refugees. The latest U.N....
Dealing with Hunger Now and in the Future
For a long time, I have been a supporter of the organization known as Food for the Hungry, which was founded in 1971 and has, for many years, been an international organization. Food for the Hungry/Japan was formed in...
Should Your Church Focus Inward or Outward?
We recently had a brilliant weekend in our local community. On a Saturday, nine different congregations worked together to put on a Family Fun Day on Streatham Common in South London. More than 2,000 people came. Then,...
British Christian Leaders Send Greetings to Muslims
Representatives of the United Kingdom's Christian denominations, including the Baptist Union of Great Britain, have sent a message of greetings and peace to their Muslim neighbors to mark the occasion of 'Id ul-Fitr...
Scary but important words …
I'm often late to the party, not just in matters of style or music (if I ever get there), but in terms of keeping up with great thinkers who are saying important things. That's why I was behind the curve -- but no less...
10 Thoughts for Realistic Expectations for Music Ministry
I recently spent a memorable and meaningful few days with a group of music ministers. Throughout our times of worship, breakouts and social interaction, I had many significant conversations with these men and women...
Church Skippers Are More Likely to be Smokers
A high correlation exists between those who don't go to church but do smoke. "Smoking in the U.S. is highly correlated with religiosity, with those who never attend church almost three times as likely to smoke as those...
Do Churches Want Transformation or the Latest Change?
The approach of a new school year always prompts reflections on the role of education – in general and in the life of the faith community. This year's reflection is accompanied by the attention being given to the...
Fully Clothed in Christ
A sermon by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C. August 4, 2013 Colossians 3:1-11 When God created Adam and Eve, he created them naked (or “nekkid”), and I might add, unashamed. But as we all...
On the Road with Jesus: The Poor Rich Fool
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., August 4, 2013 The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost Luke 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the...
The Things We Leave Behind
A sermon by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost Luke 12:13-21 August 4, 2013 Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Colossians 3:1-11 Giving a sermon on...
Ark. Faith Leaders to Congressmen: Support Immigration Reform
The Christian and Jewish traditions have a rich understanding of radical hospitality. Throughout our Scriptures, followers are called to "remember the stranger in your midst as you were once strangers in a strange...
Racial Slurs Are Out-of-Bounds Regardless of Race
Will Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) face any costly repercussions for comparing House Republican tea party members to "white crackers," a pejorative term for white Southerners? When cooking celebrity Paula Deen admitted...
Impoverished Village Rich in Authentic Community
I met a lot of friendly people in the little village of Gales Point in Belize, not the least of whom was Jay. Each morning we would cross Southern Lagoon in a boat and disembark in Jay's back yard, and he would usually...
Prayer “ An Intimate Partnership with God
One of the frequently misused teachings of Jesus involves his instruction to ask, seek and knock in Luke 11:9-13. There are Christians who treat this as magical, like a genie in a bottle, or as mechanistic, like...
When Death Nears, Many Wonder About Heaven, Immortality
Not long ago, I encountered a woman whose husband of 56 years was dying after a prolonged illness. In great anguish, she went through a period of wondering if God even heard her prayers. Gradually she accepted that...