Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
What Do You Pray For at Penetecost?
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., on June 12, 2011. Pentecost Numbers 11:24-30; Acts 2:1-21 Let’s take a moment and try to put ourselves in the sandals of...
The Problem with Pentecost
A sermon delivered by Wendell Griffen, Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Ark., on June 12, 2011. Acts 2:1-21 2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven...
Common Ground That Christians and Muslims Share
In Acts 17:22-31, we read about Paul's preaching to the Athenians, whom Paul acknowledges to be religious, particularly concerning the image they have dedicated to an "unknown God." Paul's message, however, is to...
Goshen College Silences National Anthem Again
(RNS) Goshen College will no longer play The Star-Spangled Banner at sporting events, school leaders announced, reversing last year’s decision to allow the use of the national anthem for the first time in the Mennonite...
Vatican Tries to Revive Eucharistic Adoration
VATICAN CITY (RNS) For seven centuries, Eucharistic adoration—praying before an exposed consecrated Communion host—was one of the most popular forms of devotion in the Roman Catholic Church, the focus of beloved...
Bishops Open Meeting to Review Sex Abuse Rules
BELLEVUE, Wash. (RNS) The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops began a review of church sex abuse policies here on Wednesday (June 15), bypassing several recent reports that raise questions about whether the rules are...
Common Ground That Christians and Muslims Share
In Acts 17:22-31, we read about Paul's preaching to the Athenians, whom Paul acknowledges to be religious, particularly concerning the image they have dedicated to an "unknown God." Paul's message, however, is to...
Demystifying What It Means to be Called by God
Editor's note: This is the second part of a two-part series on discerning God's will. Read the first part: "Why God Doesn't Care If You Buy a Red Car." How does God guide his people? The answer is simple – in an almost...
SBC’s Contentious Debate over “Amnesty” for Undocumented Immigrants
A resolution on immigration at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Phoenix sparked a lively debate and multiple votes over a proposal that critics called "amnesty." Meeting in a state that has made...
Catholic University Ends Mixed-Gender Housing
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Catholic University of America will phase out co-ed dormitories later this year, President John H. Garvey said Monday (June 13), in a bid to crack down on drinking and casual sex. Garvey, writing...
Religious Freedom Envoy Condemns Religious Intolerance
GENEVA (RNS) The Obama administration’s new envoy for international religious freedom told a U.N. commission on Tuesday (June 14) that government, political, religious and business leaders must stand ready to condemn...
Southern Baptists Look to Minorities to Jumpstart Growth
(RNS) Southern Baptists meeting in Phoenix adopted a plan Tuesday (June 14) to try to boost minorities in their top leadership posts as they face continuing reports of stagnant baptism rates and declining membership....
How to Grow Spirituality in Tough Terrain
A recent front-page story in The Baptist Times spoke of a project in Birmingham, England, that seeks, in the words of Chelmsley Wood's minister, Neil Roberts, to "grow spirituality within the community, giving people...
Why God Doesn’t Care If You Buy a Red Car
Editor's note: This is the first part of a two-part series on discerning God's will. Guidance concerning God's will pervades organizational life at BMS World Mission. Those who inquire about mission service with us...
Nation Weighs in on Remedies to Obesity
With more than 20 percent of preschoolers being obese or overweight, America might be on the verge of waking up to its food problem, a problem that contributes to serious health issues, such as cancer and heart...
Temple Weddings Leave Some on Outside
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) You see them on Temple Square nearly every day, pacing nervously or strolling aimlessly, staring down at the tulips or up at the spires. They are parents, siblings, cousins and friends of Mormon...
Vatican to Brief Bishops, Religious Orders on Abuse
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican will use online education and other methods to help the world’s Catholic bishops and the heads of religious orders deal with clerical sex abuse of minors. Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian...
Israel Sees Slow but Growing Acceptance for Gay Orthodox
TEL AVIV, Israel (RNS) Though never short on spectacle, this year’s annual gay pride festival was even more colorful with a parade float, sponsored by Google, representing the country’s religious gay and lesbian...
Learning to Accept the Blessing of Outsiders
In Genesis 14, there's an interesting story about first impressions and acceptance. It involves Abram (Abraham), the emerging father of the nation of Israel, and Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a "priest of God Most...
“When Religion Becomes Lethal” “ God, Satan and America
Religions – especially the monotheistic religions – create moral binaries of good and evil. When the understanding of church and state is presented in the context of a battle between God and Satan with America as the...
Who Lost Europe? Maybe We Should Ask Europe
"Who lost China?" was a taunting and accusatory question aimed at United States leaders by their political critics in the 1950s. We'll leave that question unaddressed and unanswered. Now: "Who lost Europe?" Those who...