Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Conservatives Rate Naughty and Nice Christmas Retailers
(RNS) Don’t let the strains of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” over the store’s audio system fool you. Barnes & Noble is “against” Christmas. So says the conservative Christian group, American Family...
Has Matisyahu Left Judaism?
(RNS) Matisyahu, the improbable but undeniable reggae star, announced on Twitter on Tuesday (Dec. 13) that he is shaving the beard that has long marked him as a Hasidic Jew. Fans are confused. Is he giving up the...
Will You Let God Be On The Loose in Your Life?
In the opening of Mark's Gospel we find a story that is common to the first three Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell the story of John the Baptizer. John is, as his title describes him to be, baptizing in the...
Why China May Be Biggest Threat to Global Security
The average human today lives longer, travels further, burns more carbon and eats more food than in any generation before us. The unsustainable consumption habits of Europe, the United States and Japan have been...
Methodist Bishop Repents on Immigration, Calls for Action
An Alabama United Methodist bishop told almost 300 middle-Tennessee leaders of faith in late November that he was sorry for being inactive while an anti-immigration bill moved into law in Alabama. He also called on...
American Cardinal John Foley Dies at 76
(RNS) Cardinal John P. Foley, the longtime chief of communications for the Vatican who brought Christmas midnight Mass from St. Peter’s Basilica to millions of Americans, died on Sunday (Dec. 11) just outside of his...
St. Louis Church Channels Anger over Pujols for Good
ST. LOUIS (RNS) As members of The Gathering began to hear of the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments after Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols had signed a $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels of...
Pope Benedict XVI to Visit Cuba, Mexico Next Year
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI confirmed on Monday (Dec. 12) that he will travel to Cuba and Mexico next year. “Supported by divine Providence, I have the intention to make an apostolic trip to Mexico and Cuba...
This Advent, You Can Be a Peacemaker Close to Home
The Advent season puts us in touch with our yearning for peace. Sometimes, when I think about peace, my mind goes global. I consider large-scale and long-boiling cauldrons of conflict. When I do, I often go numb...
Dioceses Turn to Evangelism to Boost Numbers
Atheism now gets more attention than usual when people measure religious trends in North America. More people put the name "atheism" on their a-religiousness than did so decades ago. For the record, my Ph.D. thesis in...
Detaining Immigrants: A Lucrative Industry
Our currently dysfunctional immigration system will not change anytime soon because detaining the undocumented is a billion-dollar industry. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains close to half a million...
Survey points to trouble for denominations
A September survey by the Southern Baptist Convention's Lifeway Christian Resources shows that Southern Baptists have a more favorable reputation than Mormons and Muslims -- but less positive than Methodists and...
Companies Pull Ads from Muslim Reality TV Show
(RNS) Lowe’s, the national hardware chain, has pulled commercials from future episodes of “All-American Muslim,” a TLC reality-TV show, after protests by Christian groups. The Florida Family Association, a Tampa Bay...
The Long Road from White Supremacy to Equality
My grandpa grew up on a dairy farm in Greenville, S.C. He was born in 1917, so he was a teenager during the Great Depression and at the beginning of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first term as president and the New Deal....
17 Ways to Avoid Invasion of the Pastor Snatchers
An increasing part of my life is spent advising and coaching pastor search committees. A healthy search process requires great patience, spiritual maturity and hard work. Done well, it can lead to a season of hope and...
Shifting Gears Toward the Third Decade; Seeking Reader Support
The parent company of EthicsDaily.com - the Baptist Center for Ethics - observed its 20th anniversary this summer. Call it a very quiet celebration. We've said almost nothing about it on EthicsDaily.com. We've barely...
Heavenly days
Photo by John Pierce. Calvary Baptist Church in Denver, Colo.By John Pierce The strumming theologian Bocephus penned: “If heaven ain't a lot like Dixie, I don't wanna go. If heaven ain't a lot like Dixie, I'd...
The giving season
By John Pierce Yesterday I received a phone call from a man who couldn’t give financially to support Baptists Today at this time but wanted me to know why. He expressed deep appreciation for the news journal, but...
You rat! You … empathetic rat?
I love it. The journal Science reports today on University of Chicago research showing that rats are capable of empathy -- or something. The experiment demonstrated that, when two rats were put in a large cage,...
Young Hip Jews Leading a Hanukkah Music Makeover
(RNS) Put on your boogie shoes—the new Hanukkah songs are here! What last year seemed like a happy coincidence has become a hip new Hanukkah tradition: groups of harmonizing young Jews releasing seriously Jewish, yet...
Why Do We Spend Money on Happiness We Can’t Afford?
(RNS) James A. Roberts was watching an ABC News Nightline episode on basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal recently when he heard about the size of the retired player’s Florida home: 70,000 square feet. Even for a man who...