Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Last leg
My trip home from Belize last Saturday ended with both stress and serendipity. The USAirways flight from Belize City to Charlotte was uneventful, but the plane from there to Raleigh -- which should have gotten me home...
A Year Later, Quake-ravaged Haiti Struggles to Recover
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (RNS) Driving through downtown Port-au-Prince, it can be difficult at first to see much change from a year ago, when a devastating 7.0 earthquake devastated this impoverished island nation. The...
Court Rules Against Diocese
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (RNS) A federal judge ruled that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield must bow to the altar of historic preservation in a dispute over who controls the fate of shuttered church buildings. The...
Gallup: Jews Score Highest on Well-being Survey
(RNS) American Jews scored the highest of any religious group on a “well-being” index even though more than half of Jews are nonreligious, according to a new Gallup survey. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is...
Turn Down the Rhetoric, Turn Off the Political Talk-Radio and Cable TV
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was shot in the head at close range Jan. 8 at a constituency event in Tucson, Ariz., and is in critical condition. Federal Judge John Roll and a 9-year-old girl, Christina Taylor...
Seven Resolutions to Help Your Church’s Minister
While we are thinking about weight-loss resolutions, why not make a few resolutions that will increase the health of your church? Offer the gift of encouragement to your pastor. Go out of your way to affirm your...
The Lord’s Prayer: Praying for the Kingdom
The Lord's Prayer, as Matthew presents it, asks that God's kingdom would come, as God's will is done on earth as it is done in heaven. What happens on earth, Jesus suggests, mirrors what is happening in the heavens. It...
Tubing … in a cave?
Travelblog 6 - Belize "Cave" and "tube" are two words I might never have put together outside a description of some large lava tubes I've seen on the Big Island of Hawaii, but in Belize tourists can go "cave...
Where roosters never sleep
Travelblog 5 - Belize I've been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit, and have run across chickens on several continents, even in urban areas. Camalote is the first place I recall being, however, where the roosters...
Army Faces Questions over Spiritual Fitness Test
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Army is facing questions over a “spiritual fitness” portion of a mandatory questionnaire, with some atheists calling it “invidious and not inclusive” of soldiers who are nonbelievers. The...
Abuse Victim Claims No Money from $900,000 Settlement
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) A man who secured a $900,000 settlement for alleged abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest has yet to see a penny more than seven years after the church paid out the money. In a lawsuit filed this...
Religious Profile of 112th Congress Remains Stable
WASHINGTON (RNS) An influx of Republicans has colored the House red, but the midterm elections did little to alter the religious composition of Capitol Hill. Like the U.S. public, Protestants make up more than half (57...
“True Grit”
When Joel and Ethan Coen decided to remake the John Wayne classic "True Grit," I had some doubts. John Wayne is larger than life, and to remake a John Wayne movie seems ridiculous. Who is going to play Wayne's Rooster...
Social Gospel Squares with Jesus’ Teachings
Not long after announcing to my home church my intention to enter the ministry, one of the senior deacons came to me with some advice. He put his arm around my shoulder and said, "We're all real proud of your decision....
Pray for Sudan
Global Christians are praying for Sudan. Southern Sudan will hold a weeklong referendum of self-determination beginning Sunday, Jan. 9. The vote will decide whether southern Sudanese remain part of the national...
‘On the last day of Christmas…’
By John Pierce Christmas is over, finally. It ended last night — the Twelfth Night. My guess is your tree — like ours — was already packed away. Somehow work schedules, bowl games and New Year...
Pope Denies Appeal of Boston Parish Closings
(RNS) After a lengthy appeals process, the Vatican has ruled that nine Boston-area Catholic parishes should be closed despite six-year vigils and other forms of protest from parishioners. In a letter dated Dec. 15, the...
Calif. War Memorial Cross Ruled Unconstitutional
WASHINGTON (RNS) A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday (Jan. 4) a veterans’ memorial featuring a 43-foot cross on California’s Mount Soledad is unconstitutional. “The use of such a distinctively Christian symbol to...
Rubashkin Appeals Conviction, Sentence
(RNS) Convicted businessman Sholom Rubashkin, former executive of the now-defunct Agriprocessors kosher meat plant, has filed an appeal in hopes of a new trial, or at least a reduced sentence. Rubashkin, 51, was found...
Will Constitution’s Reading in U.S. House Resonate?
For the first time in U.S. history, the nation's House of Representatives will begin its new session with a complete oral reading of our country's Constitution. Great idea! I don't have a clue why this hasn't happened...
Facing the New Year with ‘Gracious Uncertainty’
On the threshold of a new decade in our new millennium, there is a pervasive mood among God's people: uncertainty. We hear it weekly from clergy and laity alike, usually around a specific concern regarding employment...