Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Religious Freedom Panel Prepares to Close
WASHINGTON (RNS) A federal watchdog panel that monitors religious freedom around the world is preparing to shut down next Friday (Dec. 16) unless Congress passes a last-minute measure to save it. The U.S. Commission on...
“Hugo”
"Hugo" is a love letter to the movies, Martin Scorsese's ode to all that flickers on the silver screen. Set in the 1920s, "Hugo" tells of young Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), a boy that lives in a train station. How he...
Making the Most of Every Opportunity in Your Life
Very few things spark my ire more quickly, and then manage to sustain that anger longer, than TV commercials. Most of them are inane, but there are exceptions. A few ads cause me to smile and sometimes laugh out loud....
Does God Pick the Winners in Football Games?
During my freshman year of college, our English professor overheard two students discussing the upcoming Iron Bowl. Each of the students expressed undying confidence in their team's ability to win the big game....
Baptists Have Long Been Active in Human Rights
Human rights issues clamor for the attention of interested Christians around the world. The minorities oppressed politically, economically and religiously in many countries of the world – Myanmar, Egypt, Syria,...
Turning the Holidays into Holy Days
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky., on December 4, 2011. Mark 1:1-8 “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” Mark 1:1. With these simple words,...
Where in the World is God?
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky., on November 27, 2011. Isaiah 64:1-9 Today, we begin our journey through Advent, a season of anticipation and preparation for...
Take Comfort
A sermon delivered by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo., on December 4, 2011. The Second Sunday of Advent Isaiah 40:1-11 Advent reminds us gently of the interplay between darkness and...
Hopeful Waiting
A sermon delivered by Michael Cheuk, Pastor, Farmville Baptist Church, Farmville, Va., on November 27, 2011. Psalm 130:1-8 On this first Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of hope. It seems that we all need a...
The Shining
A sermon delivered by Dr. David M. Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on November 27, 2011. Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 It’s hard to imagine our planet earth without the sun. We simply take it for...
The Shepherd: Good or Gruff?
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on November 20, 2011. Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Matthew 25:31-46 It’s funny what you remember about growing up in church. I grew up in what...
Israelis, Resentful of Orthodox Grip on Society, Fight Back
JERUSALEM (RNS) With its department-store-sized windows, the Kolben Dance Company’s studio faces a busy downtown plaza, but few passers-by have ever glimpsed one of the troupe’s rehearsals inside. The studio’s shades...
Poll Suggests Believers Can Be Swayed on Nukes, Environment
WASHINGTON (RNS) Most Americans believers do not see preventing climate change or the spread of nuclear weapons as “spiritual obligations,” although they see both as important goals, according to a new poll. Among...
GOP Candidates Make Pitch to Jewish Voters
WASHINGTON (RNS) GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich ignited an audience of Republican Jewish activists Wednesday (Dec. 7) by promising to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But he was just getting...
The Danger of Mixing Santa and Jesus at Christmas
My wife and I went looking at Christmas lights last Christmas. We saw the usual carolers, snowmen, nutcrackers, reindeers, sleighs and so forth. At one particular house, we saw two things I'll never forget. The first...
Does the Bible Favor Capitalism or Occupiers?
Two items arrived at about the same time yesterday morning that made for interesting dialogue on the voice of the Bible in our current context. One was Drew Smith's excellent article on reading the Bible theologically,...
British Baptist Churches Hit by Metal Theft
Metal theft from Baptist churches in Great Britain has risen to record levels this year. By the end of October, one company, Baptist Insurance, had received 110 claims for theft of metal, already exceeding its previous...
Tipping points
Baptists have long cherished the notion of unity in diversity, holding stubbornly to fellowship with others despite significant differences. That's why so many churches historically aligned with the Southern Baptist...
Interpreting the Bible for Our Generation
There are many reasons people may read the Bible, but for people of faith, the ultimate and constant reason for reading the Bible is theological. Most who read the text, or hear the text read, believe it to have...
Too Many Days of Infamy Followed Pearl Harbor
President Roosevelt called Dec. 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy." He was referring, of course, to how Pearl Harbor "was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." And...
What Black-Friday Bargains Will Cost Your Family
I like the phrase "conspicuous consumption." It sounds neat. It has the gritty feel of reality. The words snarl and spit at you with the hard Cs and the popping Ps sliding along the icy Ss. It feels like a skater...