Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Poll: Most Americans Don’t blame God for Natural Disasters
(RNS) We may never know why bad things happen to good people, but most Americans—except evangelicals—reject the idea that natural disasters are divine punishment, a test of faith or some other sign from God. The poll...
Bypassing Time-Honored Rules of Just War “ Again
President Barack Obama has bypassed the time-honored rules of just war for a second time. The first time was when he announced in early December 2009 that he wanted more war in Afghanistan to end the war there. In...
No going back
A student stopped by my office to talk about reading the Bible -- go figure. He was dealing with a question that divinity school students often face: once you've learned to dig beneath the surface and read the Bible...
Bold Blessing
A sermon delivered by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City Mo., on March 20, 2011. The Second Sunday of Lent Genesis 12:1-4a The story of Abram’s call in Genesis 12 is short but plainly said: ...
The Nicodemus in All of Us
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., on March 20, 2011. – Defining Moments – Psalm 121:1-8; John 3:1-17 Images. John’s gospel is filled with images. Light and...
Night School
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., March 20, 2011. John 3:1-12 I never was a fan of night school, but that’s understandable. I am a morning person and do my...
All Those that Follow Me
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on March 20, 2011. Luke 9:21-27 Meditation Text: How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and,...
Ties that bind — and those that just hang in the closet
By John Pierce Neckties serve no important function — like belts. At mealtimes, they are eager targets for the slightest stray drop of salad dressing, gravy or barbecue sauce. Perhaps that’s why we see...
U.S. Embassy Condemns Quran Burning at Fla. Church
(RNS) The U.S. ambassador to Pakistan called the burning of a Quran at a small Florida church “abhorrent” as Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the act as a “serious setback” to world harmony. U.S....
Vatican Says Gay Opponents Are Victims, Too
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Vatican official told a United Nations body on Tuesday (March 22) that people who openly object to homosexual behavior are at risk of losing their human rights when they are prosecuted or...
U.S. Catholics Lead Other Christians on Gay Rights
(RNS) While the Vatican and U.S. bishops maintain a hard-line stand against most gay rights causes, American Catholics are more supportive of gay rights than other U.S. Christians, according to new research released...
Pastor Breaks Promise, Burns Quran at Mock Trial
Given the global attention received last fall by the Florida pastor who announced that he would burn the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11, I was frankly surprised to learn that he had found a way to break his promise...
Baptist Seminary Takes Steps to Secure Its Future
Trustees recently concluded two very productive days of meetings and brought to a conclusion the work of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond's Open Door Committee. The committee was created to study and...
Japan’s Devastation Simply Too Great for Words
The enduring image of the Japanese earthquake and the tsunami that followed – not including the real possibility of a nuclear catastrophe – may be the acres of devastation left by the great wave. Houses, cars, boats,...
N.Y. Rabbi Tapped to Lead Reform Jews
(RNS) A New York rabbi with a reputation for innovation has been tapped to lead the Union for Reform Judaism, the umbrella group for the country’s Reform synagogues, starting in 2012. Rabbi Richard Jacobs has headed...
Evangelicals Resist Obama’s Childhood Obesity Push
WASHINGTON (RNS) Evangelicals are the only major religious group where a majority opposes the federal government’s efforts to reduce childhood obesity, a Pew Research Center survey shows. Asked if the government should...
Trial Opens in Mass. Black Church Arson Case
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (RNS) After two accomplices pleaded guilty, the sole man to stand trial for torching a black church the night of President Obama’s election was confronted with secretly taped recordings during...
Why ‘Just’ Violence Never Ends ‘Unjust’ Violence
Nearly a century ago the world experienced "the war to end war." Wars have not ended because the assumption underlying this statement remains unquestioned: Violence can rid the world of violence. The most recent...
Documentary on Faith and Taxes Sparks Church Discussion
Church members in Nashville, Tenn., are watching EthicsDaily.com's latest documentary as they discuss faith and taxes. Members of the adult Sunday school class at Edgehill United Methodist Church near downtown...
Catholic Bishop Brings Moral Direction, Common Sense to Immigration Reform
Rejecting the idea of amnesty for America's estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants, some advocates of comprehensive immigration reform insist that the undocumented must qualify for a pathway to citizenship. Such...
Backwards into the future
Some years ago, Michael J. Fox starred in a science-fiction, time-machine themed movie called Back to the Future. The premise of the movie is that a young man travelled back in time and almost prevented his parents...