Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
A day of stones: above ground and below: TravelBlog 9
Members of the Campbell University Divinity School "Bible Lands Study Tour" spent a lot of time with rocks and dirt May 27. The day began with a couple of hours volunteer labor with the Temple Mount Sifting Project, a...
Getting past the stall
By John Pierce Whether in Congress, city hall or church conference, productivity is often stalled by conflicting quests of self-interest. The common good gets sacrificed on the altar of “But what do I get out of...
Adventists in Calif. City Lose Sunday Mail Delivery
LOMA LINDA, Calif. (RNS) Postal carrier Ruth Gomez had prayed and waited for five years to be transferred to the Loma Linda Post Office so that she could finally put to rest the conflicts between her faith and her job....
Vatican Closes Monastery that Attracted Aristocrats, Dancing Nun
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican has closed the monastery of a fourth-century Roman basilica on account of “liturgical and financial irregularities” that included performances by a nun who had once been a lap dancer. The...
Second Catholic Priest Sworn In as House Chaplain
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Rev. Patrick Conroy was sworn in Wednesday (May 25) as House chaplain, making him the first Jesuit to hold the position, and the first candidate forced to navigate around the Catholic Church’s...
When Religious Values, Common Good Coincide
Anyone who has read my column knows that I am an ardent supporter of the separation of church and state. Not only is this a cardinal Baptist principle, though not widely accepted by Baptists anymore, but it is also a...
What Explains Wild Weather Swings, Intense Tornadoes?
Standing in the rain and rubble of Joplin, Mo., "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams spoke with Jim Cantore, Weather Channel reporter, wondering what had happened. They compared the tornado destruction on April...
Health Care Reform: Aligning With God of Life or Death?
Much has been made of the revelation that Osama bin Laden remained committed to murdering massive numbers of Americans. The Guardian reported that the al-Qaida leader made extraordinary attempts to figure out how many...
Place of sorrow, place of joy: TravelBlog 8
Jesus' earthly life began in Bethlehem and ended in Jerusalem. The "Bible Lands Study Tour" group from Campbell University Divinity School visited those cities in reverse order May 26, reliving moments of both sorrow...
Christians Shatter Taboos in Talking about Money
Jeffrey MacDonaldBEVERLY, Mass. (RNS) No sooner had 29-year-old Graham Messier joined a small group at his church earlier this year than he found himself breaking an American taboo: talking about how much he earns, and...
Same-sex Relations, Marriage Receive Record Approval
(RNS) Nearly two-thirds of Americans say gay or lesbian relations between consenting adults should be legal, the highest percentage ever recorded by Gallup. Researchers found that 64 percent of American adults...
Katrina Volunteers Still Coming, Even if They Have to Pay
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) A Methodist hurricane-recovery ministry that funneled nearly 68,000 hammer-wielding volunteers into metro New Orleans until it essentially ran out of money has reinvented itself—by asking volunteers...
For Graduates, A Time of New Beginnings
By the time we arrived at Paulson Stadium at Georgia Southern University, the commencement speaker was finishing up and the highlight for the 2,200 graduates was beginning. The stadium seats were packed. People stood...
What Does the Bible Say About the Rapture?
I couldn't help but follow the news coverage of the latest proponent of an end-of-the-world scenario. There were many who believed Harold Camping's claims, and there were many who didn't. Some spent what would have...
Why It’s Important to Say Something Nice to Others
One of the most encouraging telephone calls I ever received came one Saturday morning. The woman introduced herself as the wife of a former student. She wanted me to know that her husband had just been chosen as the...
Beautiful Things From The Dust
A sermon delivered by Carra Hughes Greer, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., on May 22, 2011. John 8:1-11 It’s early in the morning and Jesus is teaching a group of people in the temple. Out of nowhere, an...
Crossing borders: TravelBlog 7
Some borders are easier to cross than others, but the Israeli border is not among them. Participants in the "Bible Lands Study Tour" sponsored by Campbell University Divinity School learned that the hard way May 25 as...
Evangelist Says Rapture Date Was Off by Five Months
(RNS) Radio evangelist Harold Camping, who predicted the Rapture would occur on May 21, now says his calculations were off by five months. The 89-year-old president of the Family Radio network in Oakland, Calif., said...
Study Suggests Born-Again Believers Have Smaller Brains
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) For decades, mainline Protestants have been beset by bad news: declining numbers, aging membership, waning cultural influence. A new study from Duke University Medical Center, however, gives these...
Vatican to Weigh Condoms in Fighting AIDS
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The morality and effectiveness of using condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS will be on the agenda at a Vatican conference this weekend (May 27-28), six months after comments by Pope Benedict XVI again...
Do Christians Need a New “Plan of Salvation”?
Now and then we hear someone criticize a preacher for not preaching the "plan of salvation." The critic is usually concerned that the church's proclamation is veering away from an emphasis on personal salvation and...