Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
How Health Care Reform Helped One Family
My wife and I are responsible, adult human beings – and have been for a long time. So, when we got married in June 1978, one of the first things we did was take out a health insurance policy with one of America's...
Confessional Politics Excommunicates Minority Groups
Over the past three decades, American presidential elections have been dominated by a confessional political style where candidates must invoke God and quote Scripture in ways more testimonial, sectarian, partisan and...
It’s Time to Put Taxation on the Church’s Agenda
Goodwill faith leaders must put taxation on the moral agenda of houses of faith. To continue avoiding the topic and denying the good that derives from a just tax system is morally irresponsible. Lord knows we've...
More than what we have become
The Lion King is back in town at the Durham Performing Arts Center. I was happy to see it again last week after having seen it once before on Broadway. And, being a parent, I've watched the movie version...
Pa. School District Takes Street Preacher to Court
HARRISBURG, Pa. (RNS) Should a street preacher be banned from approaching students at a bus stop? Dauphin County, Pa., Judge Jeannine Turgeon is weighing that question regarding Stephen Garisto, who says he has a...
British Study Links Spread of faith to Believer Gene
LONDON (RNS) A British university study suggests that people of strong faith can spread religion through a “believers’ gene” that is part of their DNA. Cambridge University economics professor Robert Rowthorn theorizes...
Clergy Answer King’s 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail
(RNS) A coalition of Christian churches answered the Rev. Martin Luther King’s 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” conceding that Americans have often have chosen to be comfortable rather than “prophetic” on racism....
How Social Media is Transforming Society
One of the characters in the film "The Social Network" delivers what is intended as a generation-defining line: "We lived on farms, then we lived in cities, and now we're gonna live on the Internet." A scary thought....
Faith-Based Programs “ No Magical Cure
Does religion really work? I'm using the word "work" in the most pragmatic sense. Is there a measurable way of proving that people of faith live longer, live better, have better marriages, are financially successful,...
Four Kinds of Speech that Promote Civil Society
Amid all the talk about "hate speech" and the "rhetoric of violence" in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), here are some thoughts about the kind of speech that could...
An open invitation to an amazing experience
Have you always wanted to visit the land of the Bible, but kept putting it off for one reason or another? Here's a terrific opportunity to check that off your bucket list and have an unforgettable experience: Campbell...
Obama’s Eulogy Invokes Spirit of Black Church, Reinhold Niebuhr
WASHINGTON (RNS) Expecting a speech, Americans instead heard a sermon. Drawing on Scripture, theology, and the rising rhythms of black preaching, President Obama was more pastor than politician at Wednesday’s (Jan. 12)...
Clergy Urge Congress to Unite Behind Push for Civility
(RNS) A coalition of more than 50 Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders sent an open letter to Congress urging a “time of soul searching” and national dialogue about “violent and vitriolic political rhetoric.” The...
Pastor Who Prayed for Obama’s Death Turns to Westboro Baptist Church
(RNS) A Southern Baptist pastor who called for prayers for the death of President Obama is now planning prayers against anti-gay protesters from Westboro Baptist Church. The Topeka, Kan., church led by Pastor Fred...
Pentecostal Minister Says God Is Punishing Australia; Baptist Leader Counters
God is punishing Australia with devastating floods because Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd spoke against Israel, according to a controversial Christian minister. Australia's floods in Queensland, a northeastern...
King’s Legacy Led Many to Think More Justly
The observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday has become, after a rather contentious early history, an appropriate national celebration of one of the pivotal personalities and movements of modern times. In...
“The King’s Speech”
It's been said that you shouldn't compare yourself to others because you don't know their journey in life. "The King's Speech" makes that point beautifully. Prince Albert (Colin Firth) is the younger son of King...
‘Bird dogs’ welcome
By John Pierce Most of us like for others to think our jobs are harder than they are. So I’m hesitant to tell the truth when people ask, “Where do you get all of those story ideas?” But tales of crystal balls, mob...
Jews Troubled by Palin’s Use of Blood Libel
(RNS) Four days after an assassination attempt critically wounded a Jewish congresswoman and killed six others, Sarah Palin on Wednesday (Jan. 12) accused “journalists and pundits” of manufacturing a “blood libel” that...
VFW Sues Obama Administration over Disputed Cross Memorial
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Veterans of Foreign Wars has sued the Obama administration, saying it is dragging its feet on transferring ownership of land under a controversial California war memorial. The Supreme Court ruled...
Pope Appoints New Haiti Archbishop One Year After Quake
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI marked the first anniversary of the Haiti earthquake on Wednesday (Jan. 12) by naming a new archbishop for the country’s capital city. Archbishop-elect Guire Poulard will lead the...