Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Lebanese Baptists Call for Prayer, Express Anger at Bomb Attack
Baptists in Lebanon are appealing to the worldwide Baptist family to pray for the Middle Eastern country in the wake of a bomb blast on Oct. 19. At least eight persons were killed, including Wissam al-Hassan, the...
Of cats, coffins, and proto-Elamite puzzles
I read a lot of stuff relative to the ancient world that probably would not interest the average bear, but occasionally I run across articles that a broader audience of readers might find intriguing, so I thought I'd...
Healthy Church Teams Hold Each Other Accountable
Previously, I suggested that the starting point for bringing health and effectiveness to a church's ministerial staff is the critical work of clarifying mission, vision and purpose in the congregation. That clarity...
Skype Interview: Mark Hogg “ The Challenge of Clean Water
If access to safe water is the biggest problem for the world's inhabitants, then the most compassionate thing to do is to solve that problem. So says Mark Hogg, founder and CEO of WaterStep, in a recent Skype interview...
Baptists Address Pakistan Blasphemy Laws at UN Meeting
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) will participate in a review of Pakistan's human rights record at an upcoming meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). The HRC's second Universal Periodic Review (UPR)...
8 Steps to Help Your Church Engage Their Community
Each Wednesday evening after prayer meeting, I walk to the third floor of our facilities to view the answer to many people's prayers. Our church has a medical clinic there, which makes it possible for anyone without...
How Your Vote Affects People All Over the Planet
Every four years, U.S. citizens choose the next president. We undertake an enormous responsibility. We must choose a leader who not only best represents us but who will also make the decisions necessary to work toward...
How You Can Help Children Find Their Inner Voice
During my first year as a second-grade teacher, I struggled with classroom management. I am a soft-spoken person by nature and habit. I didn't have the experience to help me set up great rules and procedures for my...
Happy birthday, world!
The earth turns 6,016 today, in case you weren't aware. We know this because of the work of Archbishop James Ussher, a 17th century Irishman who was quite a scholar. While those of us who don't take everything in the...
Heroes Stand Up for Unpopular Truths
Heroes have been in the news recently. My attention was drawn to the story of Henry Langford, someone I hadn't heard of until the 93-year-old's death on Oct. 7 was reported in the religious newspapers. Langford...
What’s Wrong with Society? It’s Those Other Guys
As I have looked at various news articles over the last few weeks, it has struck me, yet again, how good we all are at apportioning blame on others while neglecting to ask questions about our own faults. Have you ever...
Distorted News Makes Peace Harder to Achieve
Narratives – stories – shape how we see the world. Some narratives are informative and helpful; others are misleading and harmful. For example, the Bush administration advanced the narrative that Iraq had weapons of...
Defend-by-denying defies common sense and more
By John Pierce Some American Christians have nearly mastered the art of appearing foolish. And politics is the main stage where such grand performances are displayed. Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal contained a...
When is a cult not a cult?
When you want to see one of its members elected as president, apparently. For many years, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has steadfastly assigned cult status to Mormons (officially, the Church of...
“Argo”
An old Hollywood cliché has it that actors really want to direct. Ben Affleck is an actor who now directs. "Argo" is his third directorial effort, and I feel it is his best. The story is about how six employees from...
Do We Learn From or Hide Our Past’s Mistakes?
We've all heard the testimonies – a life of poor judgment, bad choices, perhaps even heinous behavior – then a life-changing experience and a turn toward a better way. Often it seems the more negative the past, the...
Why Christians Must Ignore Their Interests When Voting
The rule – the operating assumption, that is – in a democratic republic is that everyone will vote for the candidate who will best advance that voter's self-interest. It's democracy because, supposedly, everyone gets...
Being the Church: Sent for Mission
A sermon delivered by Michael Cheuk, Senior Minister, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va., on October 7, 2012. Isaiah 6:1-8 We live in uncertain and anxious times. Every day in the news, we are reminded...
Being the Church: Created to Journey
A sermon delivered by Michael Cheuk, Senior Minister, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va., on September 23, 2012. Isaiah 43:1-7 In the past several weeks, many people have asked me this question: “So, how...
What’s Your Sign?
A sermon delivered by Michael Cheuk, Senior Minister, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va., on September 16, 2012. Romans 12:9-18 A lot of churches post signs in front of their property, on which they post...
Who’s the Boss?
A sermon delivered by Michael Cheuk, Senior Minister, University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va., on September 9, 2012. Mark 10:35-45 Good morning! I want to introduce myself to you. I’m Michael Cheuk, the new...