Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Why Many Christians Want Jesus to Exclude Others
Borders are interesting concepts that have been around since the dawn of creation. Borders are those barriers that we construct to keep those we want out, out. Nations have borders, and in our current political...
Six Reasons Why Successful Leaders Collaborate
In most situations, I prefer to work alone, but I long ago realized the value of collaborating with others in planning, learning and implementation. In recent days, I have had the opportunity both to give feedback and...
Judging Politicians by Their Preachers Is Toxic Temptation
Judging politicians by their preachers is a great temptation to which many succumb, adding more poison to the public square in at least two ways. First, it fosters the false fear that dogmatic preachers have undue...
Tales of Three Temples (Part One): Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat rises from the Cambodian jungle like a city of ancient towers, and though its name means "temple city," its only permanent residents were the gods. Built over an 80-year period beginning in the early 12th...
Stick it where?
By John Pierce The State of Georgia has made the biggest, unnecessary mess out of launching a new car tag design. The Department of Revenue screwed up the contest by displaying some of the final-eight tag designs with...
Leaning, leaning
By John Pierce My Friday proofreading will be through blurry, blurry eyes. I really, really didn’t want to go to Atlanta tonight. (Oh, I guess that would be last night now.) But daughter Abigail really, really...
Pawlenty Woos Evangelicals with Faith Video
WASHINGTON (RNS) Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty has sharpened efforts to woo evangelical voters in Iowa by releasing a video where he speaks candidly about his faith and controversial faith-related issues. The...
China Ordains Another Bishop Without Vatican OK
VATICAN CITY (RNS) In its latest move in a long-running power struggle with the Vatican, China’s state-run Catholic church ordained another bishop without the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. The Rev. Joseph Huang...
Bachmann’s Former Church Defends Anti-Catholic Views
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Lutheran denomination that GOP presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann quit in June sought to explain its belief that the papacy is the anti-Christ after reports questioned whether Bachmann is...
In Caylee Anthony Case, Where is Justice?
I am sick of the media attention surrounding the Caylee Anthony death. Once again the media feeds us an unhealthy diet of drama, and we sit captivated. "Why?" I asked myself. Why are we so intrigued by this story and...
Battling Over the Meaning of the Bible’s Words
In March, a group known as the Committee on Bible Translation released a new edition of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. The first edition, released in 1984, has been one of the best-selling...
Isn’t It Time Churches Cared About Physical Health?
I remember people talking about how a recovering drunk can get on a bandwagon about his or her sobriety. Well, I guess I am falling into that pattern as a recovering food addict. In the past nine months, I have...
The Road of Godforsakenness
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on June 26, 2011. Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13 Every now and then pastors run into parishioners who put them in their places, and...
Yes and No
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., on July 10, 2011. Matthew 16:21-26 Communion Sunday One of the most memorable experiences Jesus had with his disciples...
Fruitfulness
A sermon delivered by Wendell Griffen, Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Ark., on July 10, 2011. Matthew 13:3-9 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he...
A Heel Grabbing Way of Life
A sermon delivered by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo., on July 10, 2011. Genesis 25:19-34 This story of twins Jacob and Esau began as they waged their war from within where they...
Pastors Lobby for Poor in Heated Deficit Talks
WASHINGTON (RNS) More than 4,000 pastors told Congress that churches would not be able to fill the gap facing social service providers if deep cuts are made to the federal budget to bring the deficit under control....
Irish Government Releases Damning Abuse Report
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A special commission sponsored by the Irish government criticized a bishop for failing to report allegations of clerical sex abuse to police and noted “concerns” about the same bishop’s own...
Polygamists Challenge Utah’s Anti-polygamy Law
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Utah’s complicated history with polygamy starts a new chapter Wednesday (July 13) as a reality-show family challenges the state’s ban on plural marriage, a fight that could go all the way to the...
The Two Most Dangerous Words You Can Say
Yes, but … Two of the most dangerous words in a minister's vocabulary. Yes, but … Two of the most destructive words a congregation will ever utter. Yes, but ... The order of their utterance is important. First we say:...
Wresting With a Just Response to National Debt, Taxes
Editor's note: Click here to learn about the documentary "Sacred Texts, Social Duty." A clichéd question took a bottom-line twist: What would Jesus do about the national debt? The question was raised by Matt Cook,...