Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Crazy ideas
By John Pierce When news came that respected historian and author Edwin Gaustad had died on March 24 in Sante Fe, N.M., my first thought was that we had lost one of our finest observers of religious life in America. My...
What to say?
I've been pondering whether to say anything, or what to say, about America's intervention in Libya. On the one hand, we love the idea of defending protesters against a dictator who doesn't mind killing his own people....
Showtime Soap Opera Features History’s Bad-boy Borgia Pope
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Modern popes have had their fans and detractors, but few would dispute their reputations for personal virtue. That’s partly why the five most recent pontiffs—including John Paul II, who will be...
Catholic Bishops Censure Feminist Theologian’s Book
WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned a book by Sister Elizabeth Johnson, a prominent feminist theologian, charging that her attempts to forge new understandings of God depart from...
Excommunicated Priest Now Faces Explusion
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) The Rev. Roy Bourgeois, the Louisiana native and peace activist who was excommunicated three years ago for publicly supporting women’s ordination, now faces expulsion from his religious order and from...
Why We Need Less Charity, More Justice
I don't normally respond to critical letters about my column, but I have decided to make an exception because certain recent critical remarks have offered a teachable moment – and there is nothing I love more than a...
“The Elephant in the Living Room”
"You don't have to go to India to see a tiger. You don't have to go to Canada to see a cougar. You don't have to go to Africa to see a Gaboon viper. You can go to Anytown, USA. Those animals are here," says Tim...
Why Some Choose Blindness to Society’s Needs
Evidently Jesus and the disciples were simply out for a stroll. He wasn't out to pick a fight with anyone, so far as we can tell from the fascinating story told in John 9. There's no suggestion that these strollers had...
What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?
A sermon delivered by, Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on March 27, 2011. Luke 10:25-37 Morning Prayer: Our Father, you have loved us with a love through Christ that we do not understand and love...
Water Cooler Conversations
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., on March 27, 2011. John 4:5-42 Did you ever live in a place where you had a well your family depended upon for water? My...
Fill My Cup, Lord
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., on March 27, 2011 Third Sunday in Lent Defining Moments Exodus 17:1-7; John 4:5-30 Quick, tell me, what did Nicodemus, whom...
Come and Follow Me
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on March 13, 2011. John 1:43-51 Morning Prayer: O Lord, you know what is best for us. You know which of our prayers are in accordance...
For Mormons, What Does Follow the Prophet Really Mean?
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Mormon President Thomas S. Monson, his two right-hand men and 12 apostles will take to the podium at this weekend’s (April 2-3) General Conference and offer sermons that many Mormons will treat...
Report: Small Churches Feeling Financial Squeeze
(RNS) Almost all U.S. churches witnessed a change in the financial giving they received in 2010 compared to 2009, with smaller churches feeling the squeeze but larger churches faring relatively better, according to a...
Jews Pressure Facebook over Palestinian Page
(RNS) Facebook shut down a “Third Palestinian Intifada” page and similar groups this week, prompted by complaints from Jewish groups that the content had crossed the line from free speech to violent incitement. The...
The Hypocrisy of Obama’s Rationale to Attack Libya
I watched President Obama commit us to endless war Monday night, and it made me sick. Speaking of the obligation of America to intervene in Libya, Obama said, "To brush aside America's responsibility as a leader and,...
Could Congress’ Cuts Silence StoryCorps’ Voices?
Some legislators want to defund U.S. public broadcasting. If that happens, one organization that would be affected is StoryCorps. Since 2003, StoryCorps has recorded and archived more than 30,000 interview sessions...
NBC News Ignores Tax Avoidance Story about Parent GE
America's leading evening newscast skipped a revealing and damaging news story about its parent company, which also happens to be America's largest company. "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" failed to tell its...
Turning toward the sun
I've been thinking about tulips lately, partly because some bulbs I planted several years ago finally got the right combination of weather or fertilizer to bloom. I've been watching them each day, noticing how the...
Coalition Works to Protect Religious Employees
WASHINGTON (RNS) A coalition of religious and civil liberty groups is pushing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to stop employers from segregating “visibly religious employees from customers and the general...
In Senate Muslim Hearings, a Decided Change in Tone
WASHINGTON (RNS) It was billed as the first-ever congressional hearing on the civil rights of American Muslims. But it played more like an Act II than a premiere. In many ways, the hearing led by Senate Democrats on...