Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Anti-Immigration Laws Designed to Induce Fear
A few southern and southwestern states – namely Alabama, Arizona, Georgia and Utah – have recently enacted laws that require law enforcement officers to determine the citizenship status of any persons they suspect are...
Christmas Banner Causes Big Spat in Small N.J. Town
PITMAN, N.J. (RNS) Located just 17 miles southeast of Philadelphia, Pitman, N.J., has the rural feel of fictional Bedford Falls in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Life, however, became a lot less wonderful for Pitman’s mayor,...
Tebow is Top Religion Author of 2011
(RNS) Critics have hammered Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow for everything from his throwing style to his trademark professions of evangelical faith. But this much is now beyond dispute: the guy has a gift for...
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”
I am never one to go out of my way to see Tom Cruise in a movie, but I am a fan of director Brad Bird. Bird worked on "The Simpsons" and has made some wonderful animated films, including "Iron Giant" and "The...
Why You Should Read Thomas Merton’s Autobiography
The death of the famous Trappist monk Thomas Merton on Dec. 10, 1968, was tragic. Born in 1915, Merton had gone to Thailand for an interfaith conference between Catholic and non-Christian monks, a meeting held in a Red...
Poll: Nearly 80 Percent of Americans are Christian
(RNS) As Christmas nears, more than three-quarters of Americans identify themselves as Christian, Gallup reports. Pollsters found that 78 percent of Americans identify with Christianity. Overall, more than 82 percent...
Man Sentenced for Burning Black Church
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (RNS) The second of three city men termed “shiftless and pathetic” by a judge was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison for burning a local black church to the ground in the predawn hours after...
At least there were no curses …
It was an interesting week in blog-land. After posting a rather tongue-in-cheek account of my visit to a Christmas event at the Mormon Temple in Washington, D.C., I got more heated comments than I've seen since 2000,...
German Jews Ride Renaissance Against Tide of Assimilation
LUEBECK, Germany (RNS) Yelizaveta Paliy arrived in this northern port city from Ukraine in 1995 on the second day of Hanukkah. After years of celebrating the Jewish festival of lights behind drawn curtains in her...
Evangelicals Side with Catholics on Insurance Mandate
WASHINGTON (RNS) Catholics who have pushed back against a White House policy that would require many religious insurers to cover contraception are getting a high-profile assist from dozens of evangelical leaders. “We...
“War Horse”
Steven Spielberg is doing a one-two punch in 2011 much as he did in 1993. Then, it was "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List," obviously two very different films. Now, it's "The Adventures of Tintin" and "War Horse."...
Like Mary, Do You Believe God Will Right Injustice?
I never played Mary in the Christmas pageant, probably because I could not sit in wordless contemplation! Indeed, many little girls prefer to be an angel because at least an angel gets to do something. Sitting in blue...
United States and Christianity “ Authentic Inventions
Christmas is an invented date. We don't have any idea of the day of Jesus' birth. And we can't even be sure of the year. My colleague and former teacher, Jay Wilcoxen, explains the confusion in the different New...
God with Us
A sermon delivered by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo., on December 18, 2011. The Fourth Sunday of Advent Luke 1:26-38 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26; Romans 16:25-27 The...
When God Came Down… A Departing Angel
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., on December 18, 2011. Fourth Sunday in Advent Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26; Luke 1:26-38 I can hardly read a passage of scripture...
How Well Do You Handle Interruptions?
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky., on December 11, 2011. Luke 1:26-38 Mary had a lot on her mind, like most brides-in-waiting do. She was engaged to a fine man by the...
Atheists Aim to Change Image of Penny-pinching Scrooges
(RNS) If Dec. 10 had been an average day for Doctors Without Borders, the Swiss charity that sends medical help into crisis areas, its website would have logged 4,000 hits. Instead, it was bombarded with more than...
Feds Charge 12 in Amish Beard-cutting Attacks
CLEVELAND (RNS) Federal prosecutors have expanded their case against members of a breakaway Amish sect for their roles in shaving the hair and beards of people considered to be their religious enemies. An indictment...
Advent: The End to Life’s Darkness is Near
Imagine living in darkness. Imagine living in our 49th state, Alaska, where there are 67 days of darkness this time of year. The shortest day of the year is Dec. 21, when there are only three hours of muted sunlight....
This Christmas, Do You Know Where Jesus Is?
I served a church several years ago that presented a live Nativity scene during the Christmas season. It was an integral part of the church's celebration of Christmas. Not only was our own community involved, but...
Baptist Church in Gaza Under Pressure to Close
The only evangelical church in one of the most fiercely Muslim areas of the world is under severe pressure, according to Christian missionary Brother Andrew. The founder of OpenDoors said Gaza Baptist Church is a...