Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
British Baptist Reflects on Royal Wedding
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. The royal family has been "absent" from the front pages for some time now. When Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement recently, feelings of good will toward...
Obvious observations
By John Pierce A few recurring themes seem to surface when reading published opinion pieces or casual individual online postings. In fact, much of what is heard these days fits into three categories. In a sense, these are obvious observations. One: Life moves quickly especially in the second half. For many of us, 1990 […]
Hate Group Watchdog Adds Family Research Council to Its List
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Southern Poverty Law Center is adding the Family Research Council and four other conservative religious organizations to its list of hate groups because of “falsehoods” in their anti-gay...
Top Canadian Archbishop Arrested, Charged with Sexual Assault
TORONTO (RNS) A Canadian Orthodox archbishop has been charged with sexual assault on two 10-year-old boys about 25 years ago. Kenneth William Storheim, known as Archbishop Seraphim, flew from his home in Edmonton,...
Religious Groups Support Repealing Gay Military Ban
WASHINGTON (RNS) As the Pentagon readies a long-awaited survey of military personnel on lifting the Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell policy, a new poll suggests broad support across religious groups for allowing gays and lesbians...
When Enough Becomes More Than Enough
"Wow," I said as I took another bite of Terri's delectable chocolate birthday cake, "that is so satisfying I could stop right now and have my sweet fix met." "Why don't you then?" asked my son. I didn't look up to...
Understanding That We Don’t Understand Prayer
I genuinely long for honesty and transparency so it's only fair to disclose here that which I've privately held for many years: I don't understand prayer. This isn't some blithe ministerial bait-and-switch. I really,...
Burma Pastor Punished for Refusing Election T-shirt
A Baptist church in Burma has been closed after its pastor refused to wear an election campaign T-shirt supporting the ruling party. Pastor Mang Tling was ordered by local police to stop holding worship services at...
The Relationship Between War, Religious Expansion
When I attended a community Remembrance Day service, I placed a wreath on behalf of our church. It was an important event in the life of our community. I take these opportunities in ministry seriously because I value...
What is the Greatest Priority of the Church?
I am told that at the recent Lausanne Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, a popular American preacher and author vigorously asserted that evangelism – understood as the verbal proclamation of the Gospel – was the...
Will the Faithful Ignore in Tax Debate the Biblical Imperative to Protect the Poor?
Protecting the poor is a biblical imperative. It's a non-negotiable moral imperative for Christians in the public square. No better passage provides a proof-text for this moral obligation than Deuteronomy 15:11, where...
Being Thankful is Always in Style
(RNS) Calling it a “beloved American tradition” in his official proclamation this week, President Obama reminded us that Thanksgiving is an opportunity “to focus our thoughts on the grace that has been extended to our...
For Year’s Top Religion Stories, a Major Case of Deja Vu
(RNS) The calendar may have said 2010, but for Pope Benedict XVI and much of his global flock, it looked and felt a lot like 2002. For the second time in a decade, damning charges of child molestation at the hands of...
Blasphemy Resolution Passes U.N. Committee
(RNS) A resolution combating the “vilification of religions” was adopted Tuesday (Nov. 23) by a United Nations committee, but religious freedom advocates who oppose the measure say support for it continues to diminish....
Play Examines South’s Black Church Arsons
WASHINGTON (RNS) For playwright Marcus Gardley, the theater is his pulpit and plays are his sermons. His latest production, “every tongue confess,” seeks answers to the questions that swirled around the spate of arsons...
Of Christmas, and collard greens
I never thought of putting Christmas and collards in the same sentence until Sunday, and that was by accident, but I'm glad it turned out that way. I had a chance to preach for the first Sunday of Advent, which always...
Hope works
The first Sunday of Advent is coming, the one most traditions designate as the Sunday of hope. That's one of my favorite themes: hope is what keeps us going when all else seems lost or distant, and it is powerful...
10 Steps for Churches to Navigate Tough Economy
Since the 2008 economic collapse, a shift has been taking place in the American consciousness – from a culture of unlimited credit card debt and hefty mortgages to precisely the opposite of this mindset. Today, a...
“Unstoppable”
Trains used to be romantic. "Unstoppable" has none of that romance, however, and its train is simply an implement of destruction. "Unstoppable" tells the story of an unmanned freight train speeding into an urban area...
Blasphemy Resolution Passes U.N. Committee
(RNS) A resolution combating the “vilification of religions” was adopted Tuesday (Nov. 23) by a United Nations committee, but religious freedom advocates who oppose the measure say support for it continues to diminish....
Muslims Prepare Halal Turkey Thanksgiving Feast
(RNS) Garlic wafts in the air while sauce bubble on the stove. The kitchen clamors with young cooks preparing South Asian dishes. The women are in headscarves while the men wear hairnets covering dark curls. Some cooks...