Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
AA Co-founder Scaled Back References to God in Training Manual
(RNS) The basic text used for Alcoholics Anonymous programs, known as “The Big Book,” initially used stronger religious language but was reduced to appeal to a wider audience, The Washington Post is reporting....
Justice Department: Land-use Disputes Often Involve Religious Minorities
WASHINGTON (RNS) Religious minorities—especially Muslims—figure prominently in religious freedom investigations by the Justice Department, a new report shows. “Jewish synagogues and schools, African-American churches,...
Is the Christian Church in Britain on its Deathbed?
We have grown so used to tales of gloom and doom about the future of the church that when someone brings us some good news the impulse is to disbelieve it. Surely, we think, they can't all be wrong, all those learned...
Candidate’s Bogus Claim: Hitler Favored Church-State Separation
Listen to an argument long enough, especially one filled with passion and politics, and there is a good chance that someone will eventually invoke the name of Adolf Hitler. I've heard it done by both liberals and...
Southern Baptists Honor Foe of Church-State Separation
Poor John Leland. He must be spinning like a top in his grave in Cheshire Cemetery in Cheshire, Mass. You may not know Elder Leland, but you ought to. He was a Baptist preacher and great stalwart of civil and religious...
Now That I Believe: I Pray Differently
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on September 19, 2010. Matthew 6:7-15 Morning Prayer: O God and Father of us all, how we want to know you. It is the hunger of our soul. It...
Money Talks
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., on September 19, 2010. Luke 16:1-13 There is widespread consent that this is the most intriguing parable Jesus told. It...
A Modest Proposal
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on September 5, 2010. Philemon 1-21 Today I want to talk about two outstanding pieces of literature. On the surface, these two...
Even Those in Authority
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., on September 19, 2010. Psalm 79:5-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7 In addition to my sermons, you’ve been...
Self-taught Iconographer Writes God’s Story in Pictures
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (RNS) For artist Jody Cole, painting is an act of prayer. Under her brush, the faces of Jesus and the saints emerge with each layer of acrylic gouache, their flesh tones framed by rich reds, greens...
Spirituality Meets Consumerism at Joyce Meyer Conference
ST. LOUIS (RNS) The scene near the concession stands resembled something closer to a strip mall on Black Friday than the hour preceding a worship service. Hundreds of women lined up outside a temporary “boutique” with...
10 Minutes with Mark Massa
(RNS) For generations, thousands of Catholics—from archbishops to people in the pews—saw the Catholic Church as eternal, timeless, and unmoved by the tides of history. But the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s...
Why Obeying Jesus’ Call to Peace is Hard for Christians
The heart of Jesus' message is the desire for peace. At one level, Jesus called people to follow him as a path to finding peace with God. Yet, at a more experiential level, Jesus called people to be at peace with one...
After Church Conflicts, Can Good Come from Evil?
In the midst of the pandemic of conflict swirling through local churches in the 21st century, it is tempting to lose heart. Many do. I have had heartbreaking conversations with scores of clergy and laity who have...
Three Things Churches Can’t Do For Themselves
A friend and I have an ongoing conversation about the importance of affinity groups. He suggests affinity relationship may take the place of denominational structures in the future. In this particular dialogue, I am...
Friends with dumb ideas
The old joke starts with the question: “What are the last words of a redneck?” The answer: “Hey, ya’ll, watch this!” If you don’t at least smile, you grew up differently from many of us who rarely enjoyed a youthful...
Justice Department: FBI Erred in Targeting Interfaith Center
WASHINGTON (RNS) A Department of Justice inspector concluded that the FBI improperly targeted U.S. advocacy organizations for surveillance, including the Thomas Merton Center, an interfaith group focused on...
Pastor at Center of Quran Burn Could Face $200,000 Bill
(RNS) The Florida pastor who abruptly called off plans to burn hundreds of Qurans could still face a $200,000 bill from law enforcement agencies that were called in to provide security at the protest. Pastor Terry...
Vatican Bank Under Scrutiny for Possible Money Laundering
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican expressed its “perplexity and astonishment” after an Italian court took the unprecedented step on Tuesday (Sept. 21) of freezing $30 million in Vatican funds pending an investigation for...
Taking a Page from the Prophet Ezekiel about Society’s False Shepherds
American Christians are living in a divisive time of profound paranoia and deliberate deception – much of it advanced by Christian politicians, those the prophet Ezekiel might identify as the false shepherds. Two...
FBC Memphis Invites City to Screening of Baptist-Muslim Documentary
Having served Memphis for more than 170 years, the First Baptist Church is breaking new cultural ground with its sponsorship of a citywide screening of a documentary about how U.S. Baptists and Muslims are engaged in...