Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Baseball Photo Shows Racism Can Be Overcome
I love the history of baseball. During recess, I teach my elementary school students about whiffle ball because it was one of my favorite games when I was a kid. During the school year, I teach them about the people,...
So, who was there?
A weekend meeting of more than 100 religious Republican activists resulted in a majority of them favoring Rick Santorum's run for the Republican nomination as a candidate for president. That may or may not do much for...
Hugs for breakfast
By John Pierce As another morning breaks, Yvonne works the dining area with unequaled friendliness. She moves quickly, smiles broadly and leaves no neck unsqueezed. But this is no small town diner filled with familiar...
Unconventional Statue of John Paul II Gets a Makeover
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Just eight months after being unveiled, a controversial statue of Pope John Paul II in Rome is receiving a major makeover. The 16-foot statue stands just outside the city’s main railway station but,...
Judge Rules Against Prayer Banner in R.I. School
(RNS) A federal judge ruled Wednesday (Jan. 11) in favor of a teenage atheist who sought the removal of a prayer banner from her Rhode Island high school. Attorneys for Jessica Ahlquist, 16, argued that a banner on...
Survey: Half of Churchgoers’ Lives not Affected by Time in Pews
(RNS) Almost half of churchgoing Americans say their life has not changed a bit due to their time in the pews, a new survey shows. Barna Group, an evangelical company based in California, found that 46 percent reported...
Baptists Join Evangelical Summit Backing Santorum
With one week before the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, more than 150 conservative evangelical leaders gathered on a Texas ranch in the latest effort to find a political savior. At the close of the...
King’s Early Impression of Nixon Reveal Discernment
The annual observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is always a good occasion to remember and give thanks for those whose crusade for justice a half-century ago changed the context of American life in...
Conservative Group Molds Bible in its Own Image
The Bible is filled with liberal bias. Did you know this? Even the King James Version. That's why a bunch of anonymous right-wingers are producing a new translation designed to cut out all that liberal stuff....
Thanks, Jo
They're burying Josephine Hendrix today, and the world is a poorer place following her death this week, at the age of 79. Known to her many students as "Dr. Jo" and to her friends simply as "Jo," she could as well have...
Judge Refuses to Free Leader of Amish Beard-cutting Sect
CLEVELAND (RNS) A federal judge Wednesday (Jan. 11) refused to release the leader of an Amish splinter sect from jail on charges he orchestrated the cutting of beards of Amish men over longstanding religious...
String of Synagogue Attacks Stirs Concern in New Jersey
RUTHERFORD, N.J. (RNS) An attack early Wednesday (Jan. 11) on a New Jersey synagogue—the fourth such incident in a month—is being investigated as an attempted murder and a bias crime, leading to increased concern and...
Religious Leaders: Same-sex Marriage Threatens Religious Freedom
(RNS) A coalition of nearly 40 religious leaders has published an open letter that seeks to recast the battle against same-sex marriage as a fight on behalf of religious freedom. The religious leaders, predominantly...
Religious History Thrives “ And So Do Those Who Cover It
"Sightings" of religion in the academy, we are regularly told, are rare. "Secularism" is the villain. You wouldn't know it if you attended programs or visited publishers' displays at historians' conventions, where, by...
Why Does Romney Disregard the Ninth Commandment?
As the wise men headed back east, did they have any pangs of conscience about not being truthful with King Herod? They had struck a deal with him: After finding the newborn king and paying him his due, they would trek...
For God So Loved Not Just You, But the World
Here are some of the pitfalls of trying to write timely about religion every week. First, the daily news right now is completely dominated by Republican politics. This will last until midsummer when the Democrats join...
Shedding Light on The Character
A sermon delivered by Wendell Griffen, Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Ark., on January 8, 2012. Jeremiah 31:7-14 7 For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the...
The Wilderness
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., on January 8, 2011. Psalm 29:1-11; Mark 1:4-11 The wilderness, talked about so much in the Bible, is not only a real place,...
Surprise
A sermon delivered by Jennifer Harris Dault at First Baptist Church, Belleville, IL, on January 1, 2012. Luke 2:22-40 “O Hearken Ye Who Would Believe.” It’s a wonderful song, isn’t it? It’s joyful and encouraging and...
The Voice of The Lord
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on January 8, 2012. Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Mark 1:4-11; Acts 19:1-7 Dallas Willard, now a professor of philosophy at the...
Strategic Moves
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on January 1, 2012. Galatians 4:4-7 Even though I am a father three times over, I’ll be the first to confess I am mystified by that...