Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Behind Colbert’s Right-wing Funny Man, a Quiet Faith
(RNS) When comedian Stephen Colbert brought his act to Capitol Hill last month and stole the spotlight with his satirical shtick, no one was more surprised than lawmakers. “You run your show,” House Judiciary Committee...
Utah Meeting Seeks to Unify Orthodox Christians
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) If a group of Orthodox Christians meeting in Salt Lake City this week (Oct. 14-16) has its way, future generations of Greek, Serbian, Russian and other ethnic faithful all will worship together in...
Courts Uphold Teen’s Piercing, Religious License Plates
(RNS) Two federal courts have issued strong defenses of religious expression in two separate decisions, one involving a teenager’s nose piercing and the other a license plate. Ariana Iacono, a freshman at Clayton...
What Happens When Your Church is Too Generous?
Sometimes a crisis will call attention to a problem that is deeper and more fundamental than the specific cause that ignited it. Recent accusations against a prominent Atlanta-area megachurch pastor, while still...
Why Does “The Andy Griffith Show” Endure?
"The Andy Griffith Show" premiered 50 years ago on Oct. 3, 1960. It was a week late, having been pre-empted the week before by the first Kennedy-Nixon debate. When it finally aired, the first episode was about how Aunt...
New Book Examines Whether Early Christians Worshipped Jesus
According to the creeds, Jesus is divine. And if Jesus is divine, then shouldn't we worship him? Complicating this question is the assumption that the Christian faith is monotheistic. And if Judaism offers guidance as...
Pink underwear should be required for graduation
College tours for high school seniors are exciting — perhaps more so for parents who might not have stretched their own horizons as broadly. There are lots of issues to consider in choosing a college or university...
Sudan Conflict Armed Machine Gun Preacher
TRENTON, Ill. (RNS) On a recent autumn night, about 100 people gathered in the parking lot of Grace Community Baptist Church here, listening to the Rev. Sam Childers talk about heroin addiction, biker gangs and African...
Recession Forces A-list Stars onto the Same Stage
(RNS) Fans of Christian music and books may see a divine hand at work in bringing together all-star talent for the “Make a Difference” tour that’s scheduled to hit 20 U.S. cities by Oct. 30. But there’s a more...
Critics Waiting for Action from Faith-based Office
WASHINGTON (RNS) Six months after advisers turned in 164 pages of recommendations to the White House’s faith-based office, thorny church-state questions remain unanswered and some critics say the office has been used...
Critics Waiting for Action from Faith-based Office
WASHINGTON (RNS) Six months after advisers turned in 164 pages of recommendations to the White House’s faith-based office, thorny church-state questions remain unanswered and some critics say the office has been used...
“Glee” Gets Religious
On Oct. 5, "Glee" writers took on the challenge of writing an episode revolving around the theme of religion. The TV show is a comedy and must be watched as one, but that does not preclude evaluating the perception of...
British Baptists Urged to Learn About Palestinian Christians
The director of a media, teaching and relief ministry in the Middle East urged British Baptists to learn more about "neglected, forgotten and rejected" Christians in Palestine. "From my visit, I get the sense that...
The Joke’s on Them: Denominations in Heaven
I found this version of an old joke that you've probably heard before: A man arrives at the gates of heaven. St. Peter asks, "Religion?" The man says, "Methodist." St. Peter looks down his list and says, "Go to Room...
No bland life: remembering Tom
Rev. Dr. Thomas Bland, Sr. died this past Saturday, at the age of 85. He had been sick for quite a while, but we won't remember him for those last years of illness -- we'll remember the exemplary life he lived, and the...
La. Pastor Sentenced for Bilking Katrina Victims
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) A Louisiana minister will spend two years in prison for his role in bilking Hurricane Katrina victims of more than $350,000. The Rev. Martin A. Denesse of Homeplace, La., was sentenced Wednesday (Oct....
Judge: Methodist Agency Can Lobby on Issues Besides Temperance
WASHINGTON (RNS) The United Methodist Church’s public policy agency can advocate on causes beyond alcoholism and temperance without violating the terms of its endowment, a District of Columbia judge ruled on Wednesday...
Queen of Gospel Albertina Walker Dead at 81
(RNS) Albertina Walker, a singer known as the “queen of gospel” because she launched the careers of other gospel artists, died Friday (Oct. 8) at the age of 81. Walker founded The Caravans, a Chicago-based gospel group...
How Documentary on Taxes and Faith Came Together
To produce our new documentary, "Sacred Texts, Social Duty," Robert Parham and I drove to Arkansas and Alabama and flew to Illinois, Virginia and Oregon. With neither time nor money for advance or follow-up visits, we...
Does a Comparative Count of Dead Bodies Make Christianity a Compelling Religion?
When Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, made incendiary remarks about Islam, he said that Christians had done some terrible things, too, but that those things had really been exaggerated....
How to Scuttle the Church’s Witness Abroad
Those of us who live in centers of political and financial power can, through simple neighborly actions – writing a letter to a national newspaper, buying shares in a corporation so that one can attend the annual...