Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
A Jewish Perspective on Osama Bin Laden’s Death
When Jewish people escaped from Egypt, they saw the Pharaoh's army descending upon them. Then the miracle occurred. They saw Pharaoh's army drown in the sea. It was the seminal moment in the lives of those present and...
Federal Deficit’s Cause: Public Opinion at Odds With Facts
What's to blame for the federal budget deficit? A new Gallup Poll found that most Americans blame federal spending on wasteful or unnecessary programs. "The large majority of Americans say spending too much money on...
British Baptists Gather for Annual Assembly
"Your Kingdom Come" was the theme at the recent annual meeting of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB). "Our hope is that we will each find the part of the jigsaw we fit into," BMS World Mission's general...
Changed
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on April 24, 2011. Matthew 28:1-10; Colossians 3:1-11 Here’s the trivia question for today—how did the tradition of buying new...
The Lord’s Doing
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on April 17, 2011. Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Isaiah 50:4-9a; Matthew 21:1-11 One of the many fables told by the ancient Greek sage Aesop...
Preaching to the point…points
By John Pierce On Friday, my friend Ed Pettibone took me to the historic First Church in Albany, N.Y., also known as the North Dutch Church. The building was erected between 1797-1799. The Dutch Reformed congregation,...
Forget regrets
OK, so I begin with an unabashed grin ... I got to meet Bernadette Peters on Saturday night, and I was thrilled. I've been a big fan of hers for nearly 30 years, I have all of her records, I've seen several of her...
Scholars Chase Bible’s Changes, One Verse at a Time
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Working in a cluster of offices above a LifeWay Christian Bookstore, Bible scholars are buried in a 20-year project to codify the thousands of changes, verse by verse, word by word—even letter by...
Study: 2 in 10 Atheist Scientists Are Spiritual
(RNS) More than 20 percent of atheist scientists consider themselves to be “spiritual,” according to a Rice University study. The findings, to be published in the June issue of the journal Sociology of Religion, are...
Charges Dropped Against Anti-Obama Protesters
(RNS) An Indiana prosecutor on Thursday (May 5) dropped trespassing charges against nearly 80 anti-abortion activists who protested President Obama’s 2009 commencement address and honorary degree at the University of...
British Men’s Ministry: Porn Is “Massive Problem”
Pornography is a "massive problem" in churches and may be restricting our ability to convey the gospel message. That's according to Rev. Carl Beech, a Baptist minister and director of the United Kingdom's men's...
Is The Free Market Consistent with Christian Values?
"God has cursed the earth… This is the starting point for all economic analysis. The earth no longer gives up her fruits automatically. Man must sweat to eat." So writes Gary North, "the leading proponent of 'Christian...
Review Word Usage for America’s Immigrant Population
What is the morally right term to use for undocumented immigrants? Fox News favors the word "illegals" in its headlines. Recent headlines read: "Confirmed: Feds Ordered Not to Arrest Illegals Coming from Mexico" and...
Hard jobs
There are many hard jobs in the world, and many of us might want to argue that ours is the hardest. Some involve heavy physical labor that wears down the body. Others may require constant decision-making that exacts a...
The Power of God’s Weak Love
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on May 1, 2011. Romans 8:18-23 Meditation Text: When good things happen, that is not a sign that human nature is good. It is a sign that God...
BBC Says Muslims Selling Tainted Holy Water from Mecca
LONDON (RNS) A BBC investigation is claiming that holy drinking water from Mecca is contaminated with arsenic and is being sold illegally to Muslims at shops in Britain. The BBC report on Thursday (May 5) said its...
After Court Gives OK, Christians Mark National Day of Prayer
WASHINGTON (RNS) Supporters marked the 60th annual National Day of Prayer on Thursday (May 5), just weeks after a federal appeals court dismissed a suit that challenged the law creating the day as unconstitutional....
Supreme Court to Weigh `Israel’ on U.S. Passports
JERUSALEM (RNS) The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to tackle the question of whether American passports issued to children born in Jerusalem should include the word “Israel.” Until now, passports issued in this disputed...
Does God Send Natural Disasters When Angered?
Somewhere a preacher is preaching. He shakes his fist at the ceiling as he describes the wrath of God. That wrath has come, he tells his attentive congregation, on the crest of a terrible storm. God has shown his power...
“Dancing in the Glory of Monsters”
I'm not sure how much can be said about Jason Stearns' new book on the Congo wars, "Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa," that hasn't already been said by far more...
Medical Group: Christianity Leads to Longer Life, Health
There is extensive evidence that Christians live longer and remain healthier than other people, according to a new report. An "overwhelming majority" of scientific studies highlight positive health benefits from...