Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
A Satirical Fix for That ‘Flawed’ First Amendment
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . ." The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States I don't get it. Surely the Founding...
Are Churches Experiencing More Conflicts?
What do we make of the rising tide of conflict in local congregations? First of all, is there actually an increase in conflict? Anecdotally, the number of calls and conversations we are having around conflict seem to...
New Catholic Mass Approved for 2011 Roll-out
WASHINGTON (RNS) The most sweeping changes to the Catholic Mass in 40 years will be rolled out in 2011, the U.S. bishops announced Friday (Aug. 20) after receiving formal approval from the Vatican. The new...
Catholic Adoption Agency Loses Fight over Gay Parents
LONDON (RNS) A Roman Catholic adoption agency has lost its fight for the right to continue its policy of refusing to place children with same-sex couples based on religious principles. The agency, Catholic Care, saw...
Ruling Could Prompt More Suits Against Highway Crosses
WASHINGTON (RNS) An appeals court ruling that said highway crosses erected to honor fallen Utah state troopers are unconstitutional could prompt additional challenges in other states, legal experts said. The 10th U.S....
The trouble with straight lines
As I was mowing my lawn recently, taking care to cut at a different angle than the previous mowing, I remembered a quick glance from a bus window that had made a lasting impression.While riding a shuttle bus from...
Reaching back for good
Although I have seen the image of a sankofa many times, it's meaning had never dawned on me. But in the alumni magazine of Columbia Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian school that let me slip through many years ago,...
Prejudice run amok
It's bad enough that right-wing opportunists have turned the proposed building of a mosque near New York City's "Ground Zero" into a political mowing machine designed to make hay for their anti-Obama cause, claiming...
Polls: One in four Americans Thinks Obama’s a Muslim
WASHINGTON (RNS) Two new polls say as many as one in four Americans mistakenly believe President Obama is a Muslim, presenting the White House with the unique challenge of defining a central element of the...
Church Vows to Burn Qurans Without Fire Permit
(RNS) Fire officials in Gainesville, Fla., have denied a permit to a church that wants to burn Qurans on Sept. 11, but church officials said they’ll go ahead with the protest that has garnered worldwide...
Volunteers Flock to Rebuild Church Torched by Arson
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (RNS) The Rev. Hillary Chrisley has traveled throughout the deep South, helping to rebuild churches torched by arson, but traveling to the heart of New England was an anomaly for the pastor of the...
A ‘Transformative Moment’ in SBC Political Activity
On Aug. 21, 1980, 15,000 Christian conservatives gathered in Dallas for probably the single most important religio-political moment in modern American life. With Ronald Reagan, then the Republican nominee for...
How to Join a Baptist Church and What It Means Spiritually
Editor's note: See Brian Kaylor's story, "Ken Starr Joins Baptist Church – Without Attending" Jana and I recently joined First Baptist Church of Desdemona, our small ranching community about 90 miles southwest of Fort...
Mosque Critics Favor Broken Relationships, Oppose Healing
The relationship between Muslims and members of other faiths – and persons of no explicit faith – has been a lot like that woman who appeared in the synagogue on the Sabbath while Jesus was teaching. (Luke 13:10-17)...
On keeping our minds open
Clark Pinnock was a controversial theologian who could get strong challenges from colleagues on both his right and left. Pinnock, who died Sunday at age 73, spent some of his teaching years among Baptists.He traveled...
Baha’i Community Stunned by Harsh Sentences in Iran
(RNS/ENInews) The Baha’i International Community said the harsh prison sentences meted out against seven Iranian Baha’i leaders are an unjust punishment against innocent people and an entire religious...
Hispanic Leaders Warn GOP on Repealing Birthright Citizenship
WASHINGTON (RNS) As they push for immigration reform, Hispanic evangelical leaders said Republican proposals to repeal the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship provision could erode support from Hispanic...
Episcopal Bishop, Back in Office, Vows to Stay
(RNS) The embattled Episcopal bishop of Philadelphia said he erred in not investigating his brother’s sexual abuse of an underage girl 35 years ago, but brushed aside calls for his resignation, saying it is more...
Mosque Controversy Tests Our Convictions, Civility
With the dialogue concerning the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero heating up, I am reminded of a quote from Jonathan Swift: "We have enough religion to make us hate one another, but not enough to make us love...
How to Develop a Healthy Theological Diet
A good enough theology requires a balance of many perspectives. Just as a good diet requires different food groups, healthy theology requires varied foods for the spirit. A healthy theological diet has what Bernard...
Muslim Documentary Accepted at Festival
A film festival will be the next stop for EthicsDaily.com's most recent documentary. "Different Books, Common Word: Baptists and Muslims," which aired on ABC-TV stations in January and February, is now an official...