Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
DA/DS
By John Pierce After more than week of overly abundant holiday meals strung together by an endless parade of Christmas goodies, I’m ready for a return to better (as in better-for-me) eating. I’m not worried about...
Changes
Change happens. Every day. Approaching a new year always reminds us of that, whether we want to be reminded or not. Indeed, where there is no change, there is no life. We know that, though we sometimes resist. Change...
Parnell’s Picks: The 10 Best Movies of the Year
Living in a small town makes life hard for a movie reviewer and movie lover. Many of the movies that appear on "best of" lists have not played in my area. I haven't seen "The King's Speech" and "The Kids Are All...
Hopes “ Not Resolutions “ For the New Year
As the current year comes to a close and the so-called new year dawns, many people see the transition as an opportunity to make changes in their life. Many of us have probably boasted grand "New Year's resolutions" in...
Reverence for Each Other, for Greater Connection
The coincidence of Advent, Christmas and the new calendar year creates an engaging combination of expectation, reflection and resolution. It can change the way we see things and create resolutions for new commitments...
Signs and Dreams
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on December 19, 2010. Isaiah 7:10-16; Matthew 1:18-25 Signs and dreams. They’ve always been staples of Christmas. And I suppose...
The One
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on December 12, 2010. Matthew 11:2-11 Even people who aren’t movie fans have likely heard of the movie called, The Matrix.This 1999...
Pondering Christmas
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on December 26, 2010. Luke 2:13-20 Morning Prayer: Lord, as you used an unlikely young woman to fulfill your purpose in the birth of Christ,...
The Christmas Paradox
A sermon delivered by Wendell Griffen, Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Ark., on December 26, 2010. Matthew 2:13-23 We usually associate infants with calm settings and cooing adults. So there is something...
Jewish Groups Have Mixed Feelings on Highest-ranking Jew in Congress
WASHINGTON (RNS) When Virginia Republican Eric Cantor becomes House Majority Leader next month, he will become the highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress in history. And for many Jewish advocacy groups in...
Two Kinds of Baptists, Same Kind of Problem
In Atlanta, law enforcement authorities are investigating a controversial mortgage scheme that allegedly preyed on financially troubled homeowners. Two Baptist mega-church pastors are linked to the scheme. As reported...
What Lies Ahead for the Church in 2011?
We look back on 2010 with some satisfaction. With a small but dedicated staff at The Baptist Times, we have made many good contributions to our denominational life in Great Britain over the year. We are, though, only a...
Leaked E-mail Shows Fox News Slanted Coverage of Climate Change
According to a leaked e-mail, a Fox News official instructed network reporters in December 2009 to slant news reporting about climate change. "[W]e should refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed (or cooled)...
Despite Abysmal Track Record, Calif. Atheist Keeps Suing in Lonely Crusade
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (RNS) He is the most famous—and the loneliest—atheist in the country. For 14 years, Michael Newdow, an emergency room doctor and attorney, has challenged what he sees as violations of the First...
Pledge of Allegiance: Examining the Lord’s Prayer
Although it is possible, perhaps even likely, that Jesus used the Aramaic word "abba" in addressing God, the word that is used for the Father in the two Gospel accounts of the Lord's Prayer is the Greek word "pater."...
Some Baptists Echo “Lie of the Year”
The 2010 "Lie of the Year" found a snug home among some Southern Baptist leaders. PolitiFact.com, which won a Pulitzer last year for its investigative fact-checking of political claims, announced this month that the...
Group Claims to Know the Date of Jesus’ Return
What's ahead for us in 2011? Will unemployment drop? Will Congress learn to work together or will there be more partisan bickering and stalemating? What will be the next technological breakthrough? Will our military...
Move over, myths
As the year draws to a close, we are reminded yet again that many Americans do not understand the importance -- or even accept the reality -- of the nation's historic practice of separating church and state. The recent...
Jews Ready to Roll out New Ethical Kosher Seals
NEW YORK (RNS) What does it really mean for your Hebrew National hot dog to “answer to a higher authority?” For years, it’s meant a kosher certification that ensured Jewish (and non-Jewish) consumers were buying a...
“The Fighter”
Boxing is the backdrop of many movies. From "Rocky" to "The Champ," the concept of one man standing toe to toe with another becomes the metaphor for many a story. "The Fighter" does this – and more. It deals with...
Christmas Trees Banned in Israel, Lit in Lebanon, Sold in Egypt
An Israeli mayor banned Christmas trees in Nazareth Illit, while a Sunni Muslim prime minister lit a tree in downtown Beirut, and Egyptians purchased a half-million Christmas trees, according press reports. The Agence...