Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Skype Interview: Tommy Haymore and the Community Garden
Tommy Haymore and crew waited until May for enough warm days to plant the community garden at their church, Piney Grove Baptist in Mount Airy, N.C. They planted – then got 3 to 4 inches of rain, followed by another...
Can you read this?
Archaeologist Eilat Mazar, who has been excavating in the "City of David" area of Jerusalem for several years, has announced the finding of an inscription on the fragmentary remains of a large jar that dates from the...
Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman “ Our Neighbors in God’s Eye
Now that George Zimmerman has been acquitted of second degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of Trayvon Martin, the media are bombarding us with the reactions of people to the case. TV news shows and talk radio...
10 Lessons Learned on Life after Pastoral Ministry
One day, I was engaging the work of a pastor – still, after 30 years or so, trying to figure it out week by week and sometimes day by day. Then, the next day, I was an expert. I moved from the parish ministry to the...
Replace the False Witness Over Race with Christian Witness
Bearing false witness reached a fever pitch immediately following the jury acquittal of George Zimmerman. One side charged that the "New South" was nothing more than the "Old South," as if nothing had changed in the...
9 Observations about Danger of Civil Religion
Worship is a political act. But whose politics? America's national story and societal landscape are politically vibrant and interlaced with religious and, at times, biblical themes. The messages and symbols of...
Why Do So Few Baptists Know Walter Rauschenbusch?
I'm not sure how it happened. I grew up in Baptist churches and attended a Baptist university. Yet, I do not remember learning about Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918) - a Baptist pastor who emphasized the social nature...
British Baptist Church Battles Elderly Isolation
The "Link Visiting Scheme" is a befriending service, which aims to combat social isolation among older people. It was initiated in 1998 by Woodley Baptist Church in Berkshire in the United Kingdom and has had quite an...
Oh, the irony …
I'm aware that a purist might find my use of "irony" inappropriate, but that's the word that stood up and danced around in my head when I saw that Lottie Moon's home church now has a female pastor. Lottie MoonLottie...
Competing Fourth of July Ads about Religion Both Mislead
Sociologist Rodney Stark's article in the Wall Street Journal, "The Myth of Unreligious America," is his well-stated rejoinder to other sociologists, demographers and religious leaders who imply that the "game is all...
The Outlook for the Church in Sudan
The North African region of Sudan – governed by British and Egyptian authorities until 1956 – has long been a hotbed for Muslim-Christian tensions. Embroiled in a conflict that spans two civil wars, it comprises a...
House’s Farm Bill Vote Calls Christians to Speak Up for Vulnerable
House Republicans passed a farm bill last week that did not include funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – or food stamps, breaking the 40-year strategy of combining food stamps and farm...
When the ’60s were bad
By John Pierce Anyone else remember when the ’60s were bad? Well, they are not anymore. Listen to the naysayers, who tend to speak with a holy tone, and you will hear of a glorious, ideal time to which we should...
If only we could teach common sense …
People who pay attention to such things are aware that new pastors fail at an alarming rate. Why? Often, it’s because of a lack of skills or characteristics that seminaries either don’t teach, hardly teach,...
Toyohiko Kagawa “ Christian Evangelist and Labor Activist
He is no longer well known in the U.S., but there was a time, especially up to the early 1940s, when Toyohiko Kagawa was the best-known Japanese in America, except for Emperor Hirohito. Kagawa was born 125 years ago on...
4 Suggestions to Avoid Paternalistic Missions
When the author of the Gospel of Matthew gathered up the implications of the resurrection of Jesus, he created a multimedia mosaic of sight and sound (see Matthew 28:16-20). The implied panoramic view from an unnamed...
Mo. Baptist Convention Leaders Admit to Lawsuit Settlement Kept from Members
Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) officials finally admitted to a lawsuit settlement that they failed to report to members after more than eight months of secrecy. The admission followed an EthicsDaily.com exposé on...
Rooted in Community
A sermon by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C. July 7, 2013 Galatians 6:1-16 We’re celebrating our country this week, and there is so much to be grateful for in these United States. With...
On the Road with Jesus: The Mission of the Seventy
A sermon by, Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., July 7, 2013 The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Today we continue a series called “On the Road with Jesus” from a section of...
The Dance of Gratitude
A sermon by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 30 July 7, 2013 II Kings 5:1-14; Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Gratitude is a...
Do You Know What is Inscribed on the Liberty Bell?
A sermon by Robert Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. Leviticus 25:8-17 June 30, 2013 Do you know what is inscribed on the Liberty Bell? Perhaps you have been to Philadelphia and have seen one of...