Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
How I Saved Energy, Money Switching to Geothermal
The most difficult expense to budget at our house is the bill for electricity. When we moved to Oklahoma, we bought a home in the country that depends on electricity for all its energy needs. The house was built in the...
“42”
There are times when a movie becomes something more, something greater than a consumed and quickly forgotten confection. Too often, we do not realize that movies touch something deep within. Watching "42" I confronted...
Liberian Camp Gives Teens a Roadmap for Life Together
Johnnette Jallah, a teenager from Lofa County, Liberia, said her favorite thing about Passport Camp Liberia was making new friends. Approximately 150 campers from across Liberia had such an opportunity when they...
Getting involved
It's one thing to sit around and talk about ideas or projects; quite another to do them. I was reminded of that during the past week. On Saturday, instead of reporting on a mission project, I had a chance to...
After Boston Tragedy, We Must Be Light in Darkness
The routine of Monday's workday was blown apart by incoming reports of bombs exploding at the finish line of the iconic Boston Marathon. Someone's, or some group's, hatred of the way life's race is being run motivated...
“Colonialism, Han and the Transformative Spirit”
Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from Grace Ji-Sun Kim's book "Colonialism, Han and the Transformative Spirit." We live in a global economy where we affect people in poor lands as directly as we affect the...
After Praying about Boston Bombings, What Does U.S. Faith Community Do?
Prayer was the first call to action by the American faith community after news broke of the bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. "In moments like this, we do not know what to say or how to say it, but...
Once Supporters, Baptists Now Shirk Earth Day
April 22, 2013, will mark the 44th annual celebration of Earth Day. The first Earth Day in 1970 put environmental issues front and center in U.S. society in a very visible way. With more than 20 million Americans...
Church Musicians “ Worship Leaders or Performers?
What is the purpose of a choir during a worship service? Are church musicians even necessary for worship? Do they function primarily as leaders or as performers – or both? Music has always been an integral part of...
50 Years Later, King’s Jail Letter Still Hits Home
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," one of the classic documents from what many interpreters see as a significant turning point in the public consciousness...
Word combinations to avoid
By John Pierce Over the years I’ve made note of certain word combinations to avoid. Among them are “experimental aircraft” and “local rapper.” One hurts the ear; the other can hurt a lot...
Caring for Creation As If We’re Owners, Not Renters
In Genesis, there are two poetic creation accounts (Genesis 1:1-2:3 and Genesis 2:4-25), both of which assert that humanity was formed in the image of God and given responsibility for creation. Humanity enjoyed...
Humanitarian Aid as a Weapon of War in Syria
The 2-year-old conflict in Syria is now being played out in three different but interconnected arenas. 1. There is the military conflict, which at the moment, from all indications, is deadlocked. 2. There is the...
Does Your Church Think About Theology of Taxation?
Think theologically on Tax Day, not financially, not economically, not politically. Not easy to do, granted. Thinking theologically about taxation is a stretch for many of us. Most houses of faith, most seminaries,...
Read it and weep
The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina has announced a major reorganization and downsizing -- with the biggest cuts coming through the virtual elimination of campus ministry, where 10 people will lose their...
Another day, another heart attack
Not to make light of heart attacks. But I thought I might have one when I opened a letter from a certain government agency telling me that I owed $27,180 in taxes, penalties, and interest for the 2011 tax year. A heart...
How Your Church Benefits From a Long-Term Pastor
A pastor friend of mine recently died after living to age 85. He pastored the same church for nearly 30 years. Well, there was that two-week stint that he pastored another church in Florida. Yes, two weeks. This...
Democracy Demands Freedom, Liberty and Equality
President Barack Obama opined that "the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend." He was referring to the death of the "Iron Lady," the former British Prime...
Earth, People Are More Than Commodities
If I were to preach a sermon on the environment, here are several texts I would use and the sermonic moves I would make. I would begin with Psalm 24:1 that acknowledges, "The earth is the LORD's and everything in it;...
Can I Get a Witness?
A sermon by Michael Cheuk, Pastor, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va. Psalm 150, John 20:19-31, Acts 5:25-32 Can I get a witness? Have you ever heard this phrase in church? It’s not really part of our...
The Acts of an Easter People: Fearless Witness
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. The Second Sunday of Easter Acts 5:27-32 When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them,...