Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Billy Graham Released from Hospital
(RNS) Evangelist Billy Graham returned to his North Carolina home Tuesday (Dec. 6) after a six-day stay in a nearby hospital where he was treated for pneumonia. Graham, 93, responded well to antibiotics and grew...
Williams Said Jesus Would Be Siding with Occupy Movement
LONDON (RNS) Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says Jesus would have joined protesters from the anti-corporate Occupy movement who have been camped outside London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral for more than seven weeks....
Israel Inaugurates Gospel Trail to Follow Jesus’ Steps
GALILEE, Israel (RNS) Perched on Tel Kinrot, a hill above the Sea of Galilee, Winston Mah turned his face toward the warm sun and took in the tranquil view before him. To his right, the Christian pilgrim from San Diego...
Mainline Protestants Seek Internal Reforms, Stir Anger
(RNS) A list of the Episcopal Church’s 75 commissions, committees, agencies and boards spilled over eight PowerPoint slides during a recent presentation by its new chief operating officer, Bishop Stacy Sauls. By his...
As Church-based Civil Unions Kick In, Church of England Says No
LONDON (RNS) New laws that allow same-sex civil unions to be performed on religious premises took effect in England and Wales on Monday (Dec. 5), but the Church of England says it won’t permit them without approval...
Supreme Court Upholds NYC Ban on Churches in Schools
NEW YORK (RNS) The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (Dec. 5) let stand a lower court ruling that bars congregations from using space in New York City schools for after-hours worship services. The decision appears to end a...
Too Often, Self-Interest Trumps Common Good
There are no great expectations that the U.N.-led Durban Climate Change Conference currently being held in South Africa will produce any significant outcomes. Awareness of climate change has increased, but the will to...
As America’s Rich Get Richer, Hispanics Suffer
Our capitalist economic structure in the 21st century has become the means by which a new color and ethnic line has been drawn. The vast majority of the poor – those locked out of the economic benefits this country has...
Online Anonymity Has a Light and Dark Moral Side
The Tennessean announced last week its decision to eliminate anonymous online postings by readers using pseudonyms. The newspaper said it will require that readers disclose their identity through a Facebook account....
Three score and counting …
The "wall" on my Facebook page is populated with birthday wishes today, and I'm grateful for each of them. It comes from having 916 Facebook friends, I suppose -- all of whom get a digital reminder. This is one of...
It’s the Most Wonderfully Holy Time of the Year
(RNS) A quick glimpse at a calendar is one way to see how religiously diverse the United States has become. This year, December, a month that encompasses the Christian and Jewish celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah,...
Court Date Nears for American Muslim Wannabomber
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) A year ago, a tall, skinny teen named Mohamed Mohamud stepped out of an SUV just north of Portland’s Union Station. There, according to the FBI, the Somali-born American punched 10 digits into a...
Anti-Islamic Rhetoric Paints False Picture of Islam
As an American, I fear terror plots against my country because terrorists do not discriminate against my blond, blue-eyed son – who does not even pass for a Muslim standing in the middle of the Islamic center. Our fear...
What John Lennon, Picasso Bring to Advent
In his 1971 song "Imagine," John Lennon shared his vision for a world in which bridges were built over divides, peace reigned instead of war, selfless concern for others replaced selfish ambition, and global harmony...
Two Pastors Continue Work to Heal Racism’s Scars
Thirty-six Baptists – including blacks and whites – gathered to express their concerns about racism in the St. Louis area and beyond during a session of a regional gathering of the New Baptist Covenant II. St. Luke...
The gift of gumption
By John Pierce The intriguing life of Margaret Mitchell was shared this week in an excellent Georgia Public Broadcasting production that will air nationally next spring. Amazingly, Gone With The Wind was her only...
One-third of Shelter Residents are Newly Homeless
WASHINGTON (RNS) Nearly one in five clients of Christian rescue missions said they were victims of physical violence within the past year, a 6 percent jump from the previous year, according to a new survey. “It’s quite...
Religious, Political Leaders Call for AIDS-free Generation
WASHINGTON (RNS) A star-studded array of political and religious leaders—from President Obama to rock legend Bono to AIDS activist Kay Warren—came together Thursday (Dec. 1) for World AIDS Day to call for an entirely...
“The Muppets”
Everybody loves when a former star finds a vehicle to make a comeback. We love it when the guy we all forgot gets a second chance. This is especially true when the comeback involves something new and fresh, a different...
Candidates’ Religious Views: Substance or Marketing?
While Article VI of our Constitution provides that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States," and the First Amendment provides clear protection...
Interfaith Group Closing But Its Work Will Still Shine
Joppa, a Baptist interfaith network, will close – but only because it has achieved its purpose of making interfaith issues more widely known within the British Baptist denomination. In November, members of the Joppa...