Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Obama’s Message to Young Black Men on Target
It was pouring down rain, but the atmosphere and what I was hearing made it seem as if the sun was shining. "I have to say that it is one of the great honors of my life to be able to address this gathering here today,"...
Do You Use Clout to Serve Yourself or Others?
I'm a Chicagoan. Been here – in spirit all the time and in body most of the time – for 50 years now. So, I know, from experience, a thing or two about "clout." In the most generous rendering of it, clout has to do with...
Father’s Day Is More than Sentimentality Sunday
Father's Day is a distant second to Mother's Day at every point – sentimentality, celebration and commerce. And that needs to change. It's a cultural event that affords a platform for truth-telling and moral advocacy....
Ablaze
A sermon by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C. May 19, 2013 Acts 2:1-21 Even with all our modern conveniences, fire is still fascinating. Many scientists believe that human beings were...
Making Memories
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar., May 26, 2013 Memorial Day Sunday Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-35; John 16:12-15 My guess is that what is true for me is pretty much the same for...
That’s the Power of Love
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., May 26, 2013 Trinity Sunday Romans 5:1-11 Today is Trinity Sunday: the only day on the Christian calendar devoted to a doctrine. But maybe...
We’re All Stargazers
A sermon by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. Trinity Sunday Psalm 8 May 26, 2013 Today it’s Trinity Sunday, a day in the worshiping life of the church we worship God as Creator, God as...
When You’re “Caught Between Hope and Hell”
It is public knowledge now that one of my students, Rae'Jonn Higginbottom, was arrested by Clinton Police and the FBI in connection with bomb threats that were called in on Clinton High School in Clinton, Miss. Just an...
Do You Rest on Former Endeavors or Live in Present?
When columns I have written are used on EthicsDaily.com, there is an identifying line or two at the bottom about who I am: a "former" board member of the Baptist Center for Ethics and a "former" moderator of the...
On Life’s Playground, Helping Those Who Need a Push
Recently, I was at a local park with my family for my nephew's Cub Scout picnic. During some down time, I took Morgan, my 5-year-old niece, down the hill to the playground to burn off some energy and enjoy the gorgeous...
Afterword … Israel2013 Travelblog10
A few days after our return from Israel and almost recovered from the hectic schedule and jet lag, I've had a little time to continue considering a question that Cameron Jorgenson, our tour's co-leader (who teaches...
How You Can Practice True Power of Forgiveness
Recently, the youth group at my church was looking at forgiveness. It is such a big issue for everyone: How can we find forgiveness for the things we feel guilt for? And how can we forgive others who have hurt us? One...
Balancing the Tension Between Pastor, Prophet Roles
A recent conversation with a young pastor friend turned, rather naturally, to the delicate and difficult balance of the pastoral and the prophetic dimensions of congregational ministry. Everyday needs and personal...
Skype Interview: Stan Moody on Churches and Prisons
"It's the business of touching a life." That's how Stan Moody, senior pastor of Columbia Street Baptist Church in Bangor, Maine, characterizes prison ministry. Moody, a former prison chaplain at the maximum-security...
Our Challenge to Imagine a Nonviolent World
It's almost too much these days to even turn on the television news, open the morning paper or log on to a news website. Most of us are on edge and we can't handle another bad news story. The Boston Marathon bombing....
The Unlived Life: Pondering the Path You Didn’t Take
Nearly a century ago, Robert Frost penned the well-loved poem "The Road Not Taken." Some would suggest that life is marked and measured almost entirely by the decisions we make. Every day offers countless decisions...
How You Can Tell the Emperor He Has No Clothes
Telling the emperor he has no clothes can be tricky. You remember the tale about this. The naïve young boy came out of the encounter unscathed, but the emperor was totally embarrassed. When I was in Vietnam, I was an...
Why Religious Left Garners Less Attention Than Right
Almost always, Sightings takes off from the sighting of a particular recent news event. This time, for fun and games, we'll make an exception and address a generic theme: the Religious Left. Several weeks ago, we...
From Neurologist to Chaplain, I See Death From New Outlook
My Queen’s Square reflex hammer was my constant companion throughout 30 years in neurology practice. I used it daily to check reflexes as I endeavored to determine the neurologic status of those who sought my medical...
The Ethical Implications of Your Retirement Investing
I recently turned 30, which means I have more working years left before retirement than I have lived. Nevertheless, retirement planning is a topic my wife and I often discuss. Ubiquitous financial planning...
Remembering Herod … Israel2013 Travelblog9
Atop the HerodionThe study tour from Campbell University Divinity School didn't intend for our last day in Israel to revolve around the king popularly known as Herod the Great, but several of our stops reminded us of...