Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Marina Silva: A Missionary for Care of Creation
I visited Portugal in October, and my visit coincided with that of Marina Silva, the Brazilian environmental campaigner who served as minister of the environment in President Lula da Silva's government. This remarkable...
Protestant Reformers “ Heroes But Far From Saints
Many Protestant Christians celebrated Oct. 31 as Reformation Day, the day that commemorates a little known German monk, Martin Luther, who may or may not have posted his infamous Ninety-Five Theses on a church door in...
Global Warming Skeptic Converts to Global Warming Believer
A global warming skeptic says global warming is real after concluding a two-year study funded in part by global warming deniers who profit from big oil. In a Wall Street Journal column, physicist Richard Muller...
Getting Serious About Loving Missions:One Clear Call
A sermon delivered by, Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on October 23, 2011. Mark 1:14-20 Morning Prayer: Lord, we hear others give praise and offer prayers as they give themselves, seemingly...
What Do You Know For Sure?
A sermon by Robert Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky., on October 30, 2011. Romans 8:31-39 What do you know for sure? I have heard television hosts ask that question of their guests, and it always...
What Are the Most Important Things in Life?
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky., on October 9, 2011. Philippians 1:9-11 What do you think are the most important things in life? It is not uncommon for me to ask this...
Never an Orphan
A sermon delivered by Howard Batson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Tx., on October 30, 2011. John 14:16-18 Don’t leave us! How many times is that phrase uttered every day? As parents leave the house, with...
Crossing Over into the Promise
A sermon delivered by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City Mo., on October 30, 2011. Joshua 3:7-17 Joachim Jeremias once observed about our journey through life, “We come from God and we go to...
Congress Considers Conscience Rights in Health Care
WASHINGTON (RNS) Catholic and other Christian health care providers got their day in Congress Wednesday (Nov. 2) at a hearing Republicans called to denounce an Obama administration rule that requires insurers to cover...
Anglicans Won’t Allow Civil Partnerships in Churches
LONDON (RNS) The British government said Wednesday (Nov. 2) that same-sex couples will be allowed for the first time to use churches to seal their civil partnership vows, starting in December. But the directive added...
Catholics Urge Civility in Politics
WASHINGTON (RNS) Responding to fresh controversy over Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith, a group of Catholic elder statesmen on Wednesday (Nov. 2) called for more civility in politics, saying Catholics have been subjected to...
Religious Liberty “ Our Forgotten Baptist Heritage
On May 16, 1920, on the east steps of the capitol building in Washington, D.C., a historic speech was delivered to some 15,000 people, many of them Baptists. The speaker was George W. Truett, pastor of First Baptist...
Will Baptist School Follow All or Some of Bible?
Shorter University, a private Christian university in Rome, Ga., recently updated its personal conduct policy for its employees to include the following: I agree to adhere to and support the following principles (on or...
U.S. Aid Withdrawal Hits Arab Children
Without warning, the United States has cut funding for several independent Palestinian Christian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), according to a Christian development charity based in the United Kingdom. The...
Seven billion, with a “b”
The United Nations estimated that the earth's population surpassed seven billion on Monday (the U.S. Census Bureau thinks it will be a few days yet). The number is alarming, but not surprising. When I was in college,...
One Torah, Two Tales
METAIRIE, La. (RNS) Until recently, two remarkable stories surrounded the beautiful hand-lettered Torah scroll at Congregation Beth Israel Story No. 1 was that the scroll was nearly lost in the Ukraine during the...
London Cathedral Suspends Legal Action Against Protester
LONDON (RNS) Authorities at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral have decided to suspend legal action against scores of anti-corporate protesters who have occupied tents on the church’s doorstep for more than two weeks. St....
Saudi-Iran Tensions Overshadow Hajj Pilgrimage
(RNS) Reports last month that Iran plotted to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S. have enflamed animosity between the two Muslim powers, and raised concerns that violence could mar this year’s hajj...
As College Costs Go Up, Fewer Britons Apply
The headline in a national newspaper declared that students in Great Britain were scared off by university fees reaching nearly $14,500. The story was that British universities were facing their biggest fall in...
Here’s What Many in Occupy Wall Street Want
The Occupy Wall Street movement started Sept. 17. Beginning in "Liberty Square" in Manhattan's financial district, it has now spread to more than 200 cities in the United States and to more than 1,500 cities worldwide...
Do Goodwill Baptists Welcome Women in Ministry?
Jesus' ministry and training extends to all persons. He made disciples from the woman at the well, the Gerasene demoniac, fishermen and Mary Magdalene. He brings Judeans, Gentiles and Samaritans to a deeper faith to...