Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Remembering a good newspaperman — and a fine person
By John Pierce The death of Ed Corson, longtime Macon, Ga., newspaper editor, columnist and college professor is sad news to report. This uniquely gifted communicator and interpreter of current events died this morning...
Under the skin
It must have been on the hike at Caraway, a couple of miles through the woods with several friends gathered for a faculty retreat, that I picked up a chigger just behind my left knee. I'd almost forgotten how much they...
Civil Rights Veterans Say MLK Monument Long Overdue
WASHINGTON (RNS) At age 93, the Rev. Gardner Taylor never thought he'd live to see the day when his friend Martin Luther King Jr. would be honored with a national memorial. "I think it is singularly appropriate and...
Pope, in Spain, Laments Hedonism, Greedy Economy
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI lamented the “superficiality, consumerism and hedonism” of contemporary society on Thursday (Aug. 18), while offering a message of Christian hope to young Catholic pilgrims gathered...
A Soundtrack for Your Inner Dude
(RNS) In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, “Lojong” is the practice of training one’s mind to be clearer and more compassionate by studying and meditating on 59 short aphorisms from the Buddha’s teachings. No. 21 on the...
“The Help”
Writers and filmmakers have mined the mother lode of Southern life for decades. The unique nature of the region provides colorful characters with both dramatic and comedic elements. "The Help," based on the best-seller...
Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Harper Lee
Last year marked the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird." I cannot count how many times I have read this book or watched the award-winning film starring Gregory Peck....
Billionaire Buffet Calls for Shared Sacrifice, Anti-Tax Advocates Yelp
If only a struck dog yelps, then billionaire Warren Buffett has struck the anti-tax, anti-government crowd. They are yelping about his call to tax the super-rich. "Our leaders have asked for 'shared sacrifice.' But...
All Shall Be Well
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, First Baptist Church, Pastor, Winston-Salem, Nc., on August 14, 2011. Genesis 45:1-11; 50:15-21 There’s a popular bumper sticker these days that reads, IF YOU ARE NOT OUTRAGED, YOU...
Moment of Truth
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on August 7, 2011. Isaiah 43:1-7; Matthew 14:22-33 Many of you know that week before last Joani and I traveled to Costa Rica with...
It’s What We’re Known For
A sermon delivered by Howard Batson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Tx., on August 14, 2011. 1 Samuel 20:39-42 My guess is you probably don’t think about him being the heroic warrior that he really was. ...
Getting Serious: Loving God Relationally Challenged
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on August 14, 2011. Mark 5:1-20 Morning Prayer: O God, our Lord, we know that you have ordained every nation of the world. We know that no...
Mercy to All
A sermon delivered by Michael Cheuk, Pastor, Farmville Baptist Church, Farmville, Va., on August 14, 2011. Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Matthew 15:21-28; Romans 11:1-2, 29-32 Who deserves God’s mercy? This is a...
Journey of Faith
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., on August 14, 2011. Genesis 12:1-9 For twelve and one-half years, I have looked forward to worshiping with you every...
Warning: God at Work!
A sermon delivered byKeith Herron, pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo., on August 14, 2011. Genesis 45:1-15 Last week I used the phrase, “as fate would have it,” to describe our amazement at what...
Weed Control
A sermon delivered by Wendell Griffen, Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Ark., on August 14, 2011. Matthew 13:7, 22 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 22As for what was...
Monks’ Casket Fight Heads Back to Court
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Louisiana’s funeral industry isn’t ready to give up the fight to preserve its exclusive right to sell caskets. On Monday (Aug. 15), lawyers for the Louisiana Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors...
Priests in Madrid Allowed to Lift Excommunication for Abortion
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Catholic priests at this week’s World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations in Madrid will be specially empowered to lift the excommunication of anyone who seeks forgiveness for having undergone or assisted...
Senators Probe Politics and Piety in New Books
WASHINGTON (RNS) Truth be told, when asked to name a spiritual role model, few people would likely pick a sitting U.S. senator. In fact, with congressional approval ratings at record lows, few lawmakers—Democrats or...
Cole Understates How Bush Tax Cuts Affected Debt
I went to a town hall meeting recently at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla., held by U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.). Cole said he favored a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget, and that reform...
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" reboots the Planet of the Apes saga. The first movie was released in1968 with Charlton Heston traveling through a worm hole in space to find an Earth ruled by apes. What followed was a...