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Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Unitarians Drop Jefferson’s Name from Southeast Group
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) To many Americans, Thomas Jefferson is a symbol of liberty and religious freedom, the architect of American democracy and a standard bearer for progressive politics. But to members of America’s most...
Study Links Reliance on God with Reliance on Treatment
(RNS) Cancer patients who consider the length of their lives to be “in God’s hands” are more willing than others to spend money on treatments that might extend their lives, a new study shows. Michelle Martin, an...
Seek Interfaith Engagement Following bin Laden’s Death
For more than a decade, Osama bin Laden has been Exhibit A in the contemporary manifestations of the lethal mix of religion and politics. As the leading symbol of al-Qaida, he not only facilitated murderous attacks on...
Three Reasons Florida’s Anti-Immigration Bills Are Flawed
Imagine Florida's undocumented immigrants leaving the state. Fields and groves would fill with rotting produce and fruit for lack of workers to harvest them. Resorts would empty of vacationers as house staff would be...
Baptist Leaders Reflect Morally on Killing of Osama bin Laden
Before President Obama announced late Sunday evening that the United States had killed Osama bin Laden, a crowd gathered outside the White House chanting "USA! USA!" and singing "God Bless America." As patriotic...
Celebrations, and perspective …
While officials of the Roman Catholic Church were beatifying the late Pope John Paul II, putting him on the fast track to sainthood, a special unit of the U.S. Army was taking out Osama Bin Laden, making him an instant...
Sunday morning radio
By John Pierce During my Sunday morning drive up to the First Baptist of Commerce, in Northeast Georgia, I hit upon a country radio station that had devoted a segment to Gospel music. There were classics like "Beulah...
What Jesus Really Wants Us To Pray For
It's probably not going to catch on like the cool leather wrist bands with the WWJD acronym – What Would Jesus Do? But it seems a reasonable question: What would Jesus pray? John Dominic Crossan, Jesus Seminar luminary...
Commitment, Earning Trust Help British Plant Churches
Church planting is increasingly back on the Baptist agenda in Great Britain. Although more congregations are being started, it's harder to reach people as fewer know the Christian story. The results of a survey about...
Does Graham Still Favor Trump for President After Profane Tirade?
Evangelist Franklin Graham blessed a Donald Trump presidential candidacy on Easter Sunday morning but has yet to criticize Trump for his F-bomb outburst in Las Vegas a few days later. During a nine-minute interview...
John Paul’s Casket Unearthed for Beatification
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The casket of the late Pope John Paul II was exhumed Friday (April 29), in preparation for the late pontiff’s beatification ceremony on Sunday. John Paul’s casket was removed in the early morning...
Jews, Evangelicals Search for Ways to Discuss Israel
WASHINGTON (RNS) American Jews and evangelicals need a formal mechanism to discuss their differences and similarities on support for Israel, leaders from both sides said Thursday (April 28) at the American Jewish...
John Paul Put One Step Below Sainthood
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The late Pope John Paul II, who elevated unprecedented numbers of Catholic saints and blesseds during his 26-year reign, joined those ranks himself on Sunday (May 1), when he was beatified before a...
Twisted Tales
By John Pierce Wednesday’s devastating storms severely damaged the new Ringgold High School. Well, it was “new” when my classmates and I moved in for our senior year in the fall of ’73. As a...
Panel Cites Egypt for Religious Freedom Violations
WASHINGTON (RNS) A religious freedom watchdog panel has added Egypt to its list of the worst violators of religious liberty, citing attacks on Coptic Christians that occurred surrounding the downfall of former...
Evangelical Icon David Wilkerson Dies in Car Crash
(RNS) Evangelist David Wilkerson, who wrote the popular book “The Cross and the Switchblade” and founded New York’s Times Square Church, died in a traffic accident Wednesday (April 27). Wilkerson, 79, died after his...
The President’s (Born-again) Birth Certificate
(RNS) So, according to the long-form birth certificate released by the White House on Wednesday (April 27), Barack Hussein Obama II was born at 7:24 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1961 at Kapiolani Maternity & Gynecological...
Shiloh Baptist Church Gets Threats After Fox News Stories
Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., has received more than 100 threatening e-mails, faxes and phone calls since Easter Sunday morning, when President Obama and his family visited the church and Fox News host...
Selective Forgiveness Rules After Financial Crisis
Attorneys general and state's attorneys across the nation must think they've been given special selective powers by the post-resurrection Jesus. How else can we explain why they decided to forgive the sins of those who...
“Water for Elephants”
Back in the day, "The Wonderful World of Disney" came on every Sunday night, showing one half of a Disney movie over two Sundays. One of my favorites was "Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus." It was the story of...
Plans for Interfaith Seminary Shelved
(RNS) When leaders of the nation’s oldest seminary and a Unitarian Universalist theological school began to dream of building a new partnership, they planned to create a futuristic model of religious higher education....