Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Interfaith Group Urges U.S. to Press for Middle East Agreement
(RNS) A broad coalition of U.S. Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders has backed the Obama administration’s efforts to broker peace between Israel and Palestinians. Members of the National Interreligious Leadership...
Religious Groups Join Progressives’ March
Editor's note: The General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church rescinded its endorsement of the rally in a statement posted Friday, Oct. 1. Click here to read the statement. This information...
“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”
The old story of the scorpion and the frog reminds us that those who are inclined to villainy will act in that way. But it's always a bad thing when a villain is presented in the role of a hero. Gordon Gekko is a...
Wal-Mart’s Flawed Gospel: Save Money, Live Better
Walk into any Wal-Mart across the country and you are quickly going to run into this phrase: "Save Money. Live Better." It hangs at the main entrance, adorns the ends of aisles, appears atop your receipt. If consumers...
When Politics Leads Others from Jesus’ Teachings
I'm not a biblical literalist. And as far as I can determine, Jesus wasn't either. Or I can at least hope that he wasn't! If I'm wrong about that, I fear that a lot of my Christian sisters and brothers could be in a...
Now That I Believe: I Pray Without Ceasing
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on September 26, 2010. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 Morning Prayer: Father, we confess that our eyes do not readily see the spiritual side of life. We...
The Gospel According to Garfield
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., on September 26, 2010. Luke 16:19-31 The Blind Side is a movie which depicts the life of Michael Oher, a homeless and...
Do sing-alongs help us get along?
When a pitching change is made late in a game at Atlanta's Turner Field, the familiar guitar chords call fans to look toward the large hi-res screen high above centerfield. It is time for Georgia native Alan Jackson's...
Buddhist Bhutan Bans Clergy from Voting in Elections
(RNS) Officials in Buddhist-majority Bhutan have barred Hindu and Buddhist clergy from voting in upcoming elections in order to keep a clear distinction between religion and politics. The landlocked Himalayan nation...
Lord Jesus Christ Booted from Library
BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (RNS) Lord Jesus Christ has been booted from the library for recurring bad behavior. Lord Jesus Christ, a 50-year-old transgender woman who had his name legally changed after a revelation from God,...
EEOC Charges Auto Store with Harassing Sikh Employee
WASHINGTON (RNS) AutoZone harassed a Sikh employee for wearing a turban and eventually fired him, according to a lawsuit announced Tuesday (Sept. 28) by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission. The suit said employee...
Three Ways Religion Can Become Meaningful Again
The pope recently visited England. While addressing parliamentarians and other dignitaries at the Palace of Westminster, he denounced what he described as the "increasing marginalization of religion, particularly...
Documentary Screening Draws Crowd in Memphis, Creates Good Will
Baptist and Muslim leaders "found common ground" last Sunday. That was the lead to Memphis' Commercial Appeal story covering a documentary screening of "Different Books, Common Word: Baptists and Muslims," held last...
As Church Cheers, Long Compares Himself to Wrong David
David and Goliath is not the right biblical story to guide Bishop Eddie Long. "I feel like David against Goliath," Long told his 25,000 member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church this past Sunday. "But I've got five...
What’s your religious knowledge IQ?
A new poll released yesterday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life revealed results that seem quite surprising at first: on a pop quiz of religious knowledge, people who identified themselves as atheists and...
Va. Imam Named Head of Largest Muslim Group
(RNS) The Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim group in the U.S. and Canada, on Tuesday (Sept. 28) named a gregarious Sudanese-born Virginia imam as its new president. Imam Mohamed Magid, executive...
Shootings at Ohio, Texas Churches Stirs Concerns
(RNS) Three outbursts of violence in or near churches, including one during worship services, are raising safety concerns for church leaders. Eddie Contreras, youth pastor at Walnut Park Casa De Mi Gloria Church in...
Israeli Court Rules Against Segregated Sidewalks
JERUSALEM (RNS) Ultra-Orthodox leaders on Tuesday (Sept. 28) removed barriers separating men and women from a Jerusalem street after Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled that the tall screens were illegal....
South African Violence Hinged on Local Leaders
There was a flashpoint of violence against African immigrants in South Africa over two weeks in May 2008. At 135 locations, the violence resulted in 62 deaths, 670 injuries, dozens raped, more than 100,000 displaced...
Teaching Ethical Discernment to Young Readers
For years John Grisham has been capturing readers with his page-turning stories of the legal arena of life. His most recent book starts a new shelf in his legal fiction library as he targets a younger reading audience...
Media Creates Never-Ending Election Contests
The U.S. news media is fundamentally changing our understanding of an election. For the better part of 250 years, Americans have participated in or witnessed a political process that has involved two- or four-year...