Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
How the Religious Right is Secularizing the Cross
Weekly, year in and year out, we sight new evidence that defining what is "religious" and what is "secular" remains difficult in the United States. One way to trace some attempts is to read The Humanist, as we often...
Balancing Our Freedom with Our Responsibility
Our recent celebration of Independence Day has brought out all the rhetoric of liberty, and rightly so, as we give thanks for a national context where we can live and enjoy many kinds of freedom. It is also a good...
A colorful welcome
Malaysian Baptists provided a warm, colorful, and tasty welcome July 5 to more than 300 participants attending the 2011 Annual Gathering of the Baptist World Alliance in Kuala Lumpur. About 180 Baptists from Malaysia...
Pastor Preaches Brotherly Love for his Co-pastor Sister
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) Decades ago, Daniel Parker would pretend to be a preacher, belting out sermons as he jumped up and down on his bed. His big sister, Doriane, was right in there, too, doing her best “Hallelujah...
Mormon Leaders Told to Stay Out of Politics
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Mormon officials are telling their top, full-time leaders that they and their spouses should not participate in political campaigns, including making donations or endorsing candidates. However,...
Never Underestimate the Power of Story
"Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin!" How many of us remember this litany – the opening line from a long-running BBC radio program for children – from our younger years? It's still said today as we introduce...
Conservative Christian Group Met with Rick Perry
As nearly 80 conservative Christian leaders met two weeks ago in Texas to plan spiritual and political change, they started their two-day summit by hearing from potential presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick...
How Churches Can Survive the Economic Downturn
Charitable giving to religious organizations was flat in 2010, equaling the amount given the previous year. By contrast, charitable giving to all causes was up 3.8 percent as reported by Giving USA Foundation. "If (all...
A free reminder
The annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA)is getting underway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with preliminary meetings that began July 3 and sessions for conversation and business that run through July 9. A...
Houston VA Cemetery Draws Discrimination Claims
(RNS) Members of Congress and Christian leaders say they are outraged over claims that a Veterans Affairs official in Houston discriminates against clergy and veterans’ families who want to use religious references in...
Mo. Congressman Apologizes for God Comment
(RNS) A Missouri congressman has apologized for telling a national radio audience that “at the heart of liberalism really is a hatred for God.” U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, whose comments created a nationwide uproar among...
Calif. Bbishop Resigns, Citing Exhaustion from Sex Abuse Cases
(RNS) A Roman Catholic bishop in California resigned on Thursday (June 30), saying he is “exhausted” from dealing with clergy sexual abuse cases in his Santa Rosa diocese. The Vatican announced that it had accepted...
Churches Losing Ground in Contributions
While total estimated charitable giving edged up by 3.8 percent compared to 2009, gifts to churches and religious organizations actually declined when adjusted for inflation. Philanthropy toward other human services...
No Easy Answers to Why God Allows Suffering, Evil
There is probably no greater argument for God's non-existence than the problem of evil. Theodicy, a term used by philosophers and theologians to define the problem of evil, is a problem for theists because if God...
Unconvincing “proof”
Occasionally I get emails from publicists, wondering if I might be interested in reviewing a book by one of the authors they represent. Most often, the titles don't interest me, and I decline despite the offer of a...
Beyond our explanations, evil exists
The Woodruff House gazebo on Mercer University's law campus atop Coleman Hill in Macon, Ga. Photo by John Pierce.By John Pierce Coleman Hill is the high point of downtown Macon with stately old homes and the towering...
China Ordains Bishop without Vatican Approval
(RNS) Stepping up a protracted confrontation with the Vatican, China’s state-run Catholic church on Wednesday (June 29) ordained a bishop without the approval of Pope Benedict XVI just three days after police arrested...
Evangelical Leader to Retire from Minn. Pulpit
(RNS) Evangelical leader Leith Anderson has announced plans to retire as senior pastor of his Eden Prairie, Minn., megachurch—where GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty is a parishioner. Anderson will end his...
A Church by Any Other Name
(RNS) For Living Faith Lutheran Church, the name change was as much about the future as the past. On Sunday (June 26) the Rockville, Md., congregation formally bid goodbye to its old name, Crusader Lutheran Church....
“Cars 2”
Pixar means magic. Its movies have touched popular culture and the human heart. John Lasseter – the film's director as well as the chief creative officer for Pixar and Disney – and company make movies that are both...
Why Our Founders Favored Church-State Separation
On Monday we celebrate the 235th anniversary of our country's birth. We have had some ups and downs through the years, and we are by no means perfect, but by and large this is a great place to live. I can't help but to...