Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Pope Gets Gloves from WCC Leader to Warm Relations
ROME (RNS/ENInews) The head of the World Council of Churches met Pope Benedict XVI for the first time on Saturday (Dec. 4), saying he wants to strengthen cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church, especially in the...
Most Protestant Pastors Think Bush, Palin are Christians but not Obama
WASHINGTON (RNS) The vast majority of Protestant pastors think former President George W. Bush is a Christian, but less than half think President Obama is, a new LifeWay Research survey shows. Three-quarters of...
Muslims and Baptists Join Hands in Mosquito Net Distribution in Tanzania
Editor's note: This is the first of several dispatches on the Muslim-Baptist mission trip to Tanzania. Three Oklahomans – two Baptists and a Muslim – left behind that state's infectious fear of Islam to combat the...
When Church Budgets Drop, “Hunting” Season Begins
It's hunting season, and the woods and fields are filled with dedicated hunters intent on bagging a trophy or simply putting food on the table. Not a good time to be a deer. It's approaching the end of the year and...
During Advent, Make Time to Wait on God
The start of the season of Advent, falling on Nov. 28 this year, marks the beginning of the Christian calendar. The word "Advent" comes from the Latin meaning "coming," and the season that bears this title consists of...
Churches Push Hard on Last-Minute Legislation
WASHINGTON (RNS) With three weeks left before the 111th Congress adjourns, faith groups are mounting a full court press on Capitol Hill on a number of bills, including a nuclear treaty with Russia and an immigration...
Religious Groups Rally Behind Traditional Marriage
(RNS) As a federal appeals court in California heard opening arguments in a landmark gay marriage case on Monday (Dec. 6), a rare coalition of religious leaders released a public letter promoting marriage as “the...
Survey: Typical Atheist is White Son of Religious Parents
WASHINGTON (RNS) The typical member of a fast-growing atheist association is a highly educated, married white male who grew up with religious parents. The Freedom from Religion Foundation, which grew from 5,500 in 2004...
EthicsDaily.com Seeks Moral Investors
How many goodwill Baptists and others of faith have invested their dollars this year in moral advocacy? Not nearly enough. Active people of faith support lots of good, nonprofit causes. Many do so sacrificially....
Ordination Practices: Following Christ or Tradition?
Christians, by definition, are followers of Christ. They just differ on "how." How should Christians walk daily with Christ? How closely? Every Christian falls in a different place along a wide spectrum of discipleship...
Do Airport Searches Violate 4th Amendment?
What if you were required to pass through a scanning device any time you drive on a public highway? Would you consider that requirement intrusive? Would you object to being scanned and insist that government agents...
Adventures on the side of good
By John Pierce
The day Sky King came to town is a special childhood memory. Not often could a youngster meet a real, television hero in person.
Katrina Menorah Lit at White House Hanukkah Event
WASHINGTON (RNS) President Obama and some 500 notables celebrated the second of the Hanukkah’s eight nights on Thursday (Dec. 2) by lighting a menorah fished from the muck of a synagogue flooded by Hurricane Katrina....
Father Oprah and Wife Welcome First Daughter
(RNS) The Miami priest once known as “Father Oprah,” who joined the Episcopal Church after his breaking his Catholic vow of celibacy, announced the birth of his first child on Thursday (Dec. 2). “With thanksgiving to...
Clergy’s Professional Rreputation Hovers in the Middle
(RNS) What do nurses, soldiers, pharmacists, elementary school teachers, doctors, and police officers have in common? Americans say they are all more ethical and honest than members of the clergy, according to a Gallup...
Why Catch-Up Sundays Don’t Work for Churches
In the dark ages, we called it Prove the Tithe Day. It was an effort to raise money for the church's operating budget on a single Sunday. This same idea is back in popularity as church contributions run behind budget...
Nine Biblical Themes That Encourage Earth Care
Does the biblical teaching that human beings have dominion over the earth grant Westerners a license to exploit the planet? Or are there biblical themes that encourage stewardship rather than exploitation? I think...
Many Faiths, One Common Commandment “ Love
"A new commandment I give you," Jesus says to his disciples at his final meal in the gospel of John, "love one another. This is the way that people will know you are my disciples: demonstrate love for one another." "A...
Makin’ bacon
Underground caves and caverns have always fascinated me, and on a getaway in northwestern Virginia this weekend, I visited Shenandoah Caverns, where I saw something new. I've visted a number of different caverns, and...
Now That I Believe: I Have Hope
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on November 28, 2010. Isaiah 40:1-5, 27-31 Morning Prayer: Our Father, we approach this Advent season confessing that we have lost our way. ...
Sword
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., on November 28, 2010. First Sunday in Advent Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14 When I step into this pulpit...