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Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Archbishop, Atheist, Baptist Mark 400 Years of KJV Bible
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II began her annual Christmas message with a reference to how deeply divided was the Christian church when King James VI came to the throne of England more than 400 years ago. "The king...
My oh Mayan
TravelBlog 4 - Belize I'm teaching at the Baptist Bible School of Belize at the Baptist Training Center in Camalote this week. The school was developed by Baptists from North Carolina and continues to be supported by...
Here in Camalote
Travelblog 3 - Belize When I first arrived at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1979, I fell so in love with the education I was receiving there that I felt as if I were in Camelot, King Arthur's...
Technology Unites Missionaries, Families Around the World
(RNS) Janine Winkler loves reading books to her 2-year-old grandson Judah, but instead of sitting on her lap at her home in Michigan, he’s usually half a world away in Nigeria, where his father works for Wycliffe Bible...
Worker’s Memory Plants Seeds for Trees Outside Katrina Homes
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) The last time Matt Sloan saw Sylvia Blanchard’s house after he and Episcopal volunteer crews reclaimed it from Hurricane Katrina, the Blanchards were back in and it was neat, clean and smelling new....
Poll: Americans See Religion’s Role Declining
(RNS) Seven in 10 Americans say religion’s influence on the country is waning, and 61 percent say they belong to a church or synagogue, equaling the lowest number since Gallup began asking the question in the 1930s....
Religious Leaders Condemn Attacks on Christians in Egypt, Nigeria
Muslim and Christian leaders began the new year with a flurry of statements and comments condemning Islamic attacks on Christians in Egypt and Nigeria. Victory Baptist Church in Maiduguri, Nigeria, was burned and its...
Epiphany Manifests Heaven’s Bias for Vulnerable
There are three versions of what Epiphany ("Manifestation") is meant to commemorate in the church's calendar. One of those traditions celebrates Jesus' baptism on Jan. 6. Another tradition links Epiphany Sunday with...
Anti-Hispanic Assault Shifts to State Governments
Democrats' spineless attempts to pass comprehensive immigration reform when they controlled the Congress – coupled with the prevailing racist Latino-phobia demonstrated by incoming Republican House committee chairs –...
Remembering 2010
Chattanooga's Market Street Bridge over the Tennessee RiverBy John Pierce In some ways, it was a challenging year professionally. But 2010 ended with deep gratitude for those with whom and for whom I work — and...
School days at BBSB
Travelblog 2: Belize The Baptist Bible School of Belize meets for three weeks each year, one week in January, another in May, and another in August. Students attend classes at the Baptist Training Center on the...
Nuns Hopeful on U.S. Prelate’s Role in Vatican Probe
(RNS) The recent appointment of an American archbishop to the Vatican office overseeing a wide-ranging investigation of U.S. nuns has the sisters and their supporters breathing a little easier. Archbishop Joseph Tobin...
Missouri Synod President to Keep Preaching Skills Polished
ST. LOUIS (RNS) Soon after his installation as the new president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Rev. Matthew Harrison was studying the responsibilities of his office in the denomination’s constitution and...
Pope Condemns Vile Killing Outside Egyptian Church
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI denounced the “vile and murderous” New Year’s Day killing of 21 Egyptian Christians, and was rebuked by Egypt’s top Muslim cleric for an “unacceptable interference in Egypt’s...
Egypt’s President Needs to Ensure Egyptian Christians’ Safety
On the first day of 2011 shortly after midnight, as Coptic Christian worshipers left a New Year's Eve service in a church in Alexandria in northern Egypt, a bomb exploded outside the church killing at least 21...
Five Trends That Will Affect Churches
Forty years ago, Alvin and Heidi Toffler wrote "Future Shock," a groundbreaking book about what we could expect in the future. It was a challenging and, in many ways, accurate forecast. Some of its projections are...
States Plan to Follow Arizona’s Lead on Immigration
Seven states may seek to pass Arizona-style laws in 2011 that crack down on illegal immigration, according to a report from an immigration advocacy organization. National Immigration Forum (NIF) released in late...
Believers in Belize
TRAVELBLOG 1 By Tony W. Cartledge I'm teaching this week at the Baptist Bible School of Belize, which meets three weeks each year at the Baptist Training Center of Belize in the tiny village of Camalote, near the...
Seven New Year’s Resolutions for Ministers
Resolve to better supervise others. It is part of a minister's work. In many ministry settings, this involves keeping up with a couple of part-time employees. While this surely involves keeping up with their...
Nigerian Islamic Extremists Take Credit for Attacks on Christians on Christmas Eve
An extremist Islamic organization took credit for multiple attacks in Nigeria on Christmas Eve that resulted in the death of a Baptist pastor and the burning of Victory Baptist Church in Maiduguri. Four bombs also...
Goodwill People of Faith Face 2011 Crossroads
Speaking for God, the prophet Jeremiah wrote about a people who were so morally blind that they no longer knew how to blush. They were greedy. They were dishonest. They were superficially concerned about the brushed...