Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
What I Believe: Help My Unbelief
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on September 5, 2010. Mark 9:14-25 Morning Prayer: We confess, our Father, that our faith is not always what we want it to be. We confess...
See You At The Top
A sermon delivered by David Hughes, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, Nc., on August 29, 2010. Luke 14:1, 7-14 Many years ago I received a letter inviting me to accept a credit card that shall remain unnamed. The...
The Cost of Discipleship
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., on September 5, 2010. Luke 14:25-35 Today’s text contains some of the most astonishing words that Jesus spoke. They...
Following the Real Jesus
A sermon delivered by Wendell Griffen, Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Ark., on September 5, 2010. Luke 14:25-33; Philemon 1-21 At Luke 9:51, we learn that Jesus "set his face to go to Jerusalem." Luke...
Clearing The Room
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., on September 5, 2010 Psalm 139:13-18; Luke 14:25-33 Maybe Jesus had an anti-megachurch bias. He...
Turtles All the Way Down
A sermon delivered by Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City Mo., on September 5, 2010. Luke 14:25-33 Luke 14 is as hard as a box of rocks. Welcome to the hard sayings of Jesus where Jesus pushes...
What I Believe: The Present Christ
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., on August 29, 2010. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 Morning Prayer: O God, you are the one who speaks to our hearts and gladdens our every step. As we...
To speak or to shut up
Sometimes the media — or anyone with a platform including a Facebook page or blog — can give attention-seekers the attention they seek. Which raises the question: Should religious nutcases be condemned publicly or...
British Less Than Enthused About Upcoming Papal Visit
LONDON (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled this month (Sept. 16-19) to pay the first papal visit to Britain in 28 years, but the host nation seems less than enthusiastic about it, according to a pair of public opinion...
Vatican Joins Chorus Opposing Quran Burning
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican on Wednesday (Sept. 8) joined Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other high-level U.S. officials in denouncing a Florida pastor’s plans to burn the Quran on the ninth...
Imam Defends Plans for Islamic center in NYC
(RNS) The imam who proposed an Islamic community center near Ground Zero said Tuesday (Sept. 7) that changing his plans would play into the hands of extremists who think Americans oppose Islam. “The wonderful...
Counter the Surge of Islamic Fear with Clarity
A new surge of anti-Muslim feeling is breaking across the United States. The situation is serious enough that the Islamic Society of North America felt that it needed to host an emergency interfaith summit on Tuesday...
Jesus Explains Where a Woman’s Place Really Is
Several years ago I was introduced to the term "church wife," a paradigm of a 1950s woman who does the main work of keeping a home or church running efficiently, but is never allowed a leadership role or title (head of...
Before Burning Quran, Recall Jesus’ Words
My recent visit to the mosque stirred up a good bit of discussion on Facebook, most of it from a college friend who is convinced the Muslims are trying to take over America. I don't believe "the Muslims" (all 1.5...
Of time and bus stops
It's well before full daylight when Samuel walks down to the bus stop each morning about 6:20 a.m. When I follow a little later, giving the dog a morning romp, Samuel and his compatriots are quite a sight. Three boys...
Heaven Trumps Hell in Canadian Poll
TORONTO (RNS) “Hell is a half-filled auditorium,” wrote the poet Robert Frost. In Canada, it’s slightly less full. According to new poll, a bit more than half of Canadians believe in heaven, but less than a third...
Anglican Priest Gets Four Years in Prison
LONDON (RNS) An Anglican vicar has been sentenced to four years in prison for conducting hundreds of fake marriages as part of a fraud helping illegal immigrants set up permanent homes in Britain. The Rev. Alex Brown...
Prominent Faith Leaders Denounce Islamophobia
WASHINGTON (RNS) Three dozen faith leaders Tuesday (Sept. 7) issued a declaration denouncing anti-Muslim bigotry as the nation prepares to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at a time of inflamed religious...
Immigration Must Be Handled with Compassion
Our nation is engaged in an intense debate over immigration and the status of millions of non-documented people in our country. As American Baptists in New Jersey and throughout the country consider all the proposals...
What Does Glenn Beck Want to Revive with His Revival?
Glenn Beck may well be right. We could be on the verge of a revival in the land. At Beck's recent event, Restoring Honor, he called for a national return to God. But is it what it seems on first blush? Americans are...
National Affairs Briefing Politicized the Gospel
We have just observed the 30th anniversary of a milestone in the spiritual deterioration of American evangelicalism: the National Affairs Briefing on Aug. 21-22, 1980. Organized by Ed McAteer, called by some the...