Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Bishop or Baptist? Pick one
The Boston Globe has an interesting story about how more Baptist ministers are taking on the title of bishop now. The trend is more prominent in African-American congregations.Various reasons were given including...
Side with Good Science against Bad Religion on Climate Change
Global warming deniers have had a bad couple of weeks on the truth versus falsehood front, the line between what is and their wishful fantasies. Scientists have thumped the deniers who cling to their beliefs – beliefs...
U.S. Baptist Support for Death Penalty Brings Shame on Global Baptists
The interaction of culture and ancient religious texts continues to spark controversies in the modern world, from the debates in the Church of England over women bishops, and the crisis over provisions to be made for...
GOP Candidates Play the ‘God Card’
As the 2010 midterm elections heat up, several Republican candidates recently invoked God to support their campaigns and attack their political opponents. From Alabama to Missouri to Nevada, God is being portrayed as...
Last Call: British Baptist Holds Funeral in Pub
A recent funeral service in a pub in Great Britain went so well that the Baptist minister who conducted it "wouldn't hesitate" to use similar premises again. Rev. Neal Smith thought of using a local hostelry because...
Would knowing make a difference?
An article in today's News & Observer explores some basic questions about genetic testing to determine one's chances of developing certain diseases. If people learn that they are genetically predisposed to develop...
What Will It Take For Churches To Mentor?
I was watching a video in which Rob Bell explained the significance of Jesus calling his disciples. Bell described the process of education for Jewish children, which involved rigorous study and memorization of Torah....
What Open Theism Says About Moral Responsibility
Very few theological movements have engaged as much spirited debate and disagreement as has the emergence of "open theism." For the past decade and a half, chiefly beginning with the publication of "The Openness of...
Finding Courage to Challenge Churches’ Patriarchy
Spiritual writer Richard Rohr has observed that in recent centuries most churches have been on the wrong side of most human reformations and revolutions – until after these reformations succeeded. Consider the issue of...
Dinosaur lips and logical deduction
“I need a little petroleum,” I said when glancing down at my fuel gauge and veering off the I-75 exit at Adairsville, Ga., last Saturday. “Is that what gas is made from?” asked my 12-year-old daughter and sole...
When “what’s fair” isn’t the question
Golf's oldest championship, what Americans call "the British Open" and Europeans call "The Open Championship," is underway on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland. As a major championship, the event gets...
Would A Justice People Tolerate a Predatory Government Practice?
"The thought of increasing your jackpot potential, gets you pumped," slurs Ric Flair in a noisy TV commercial. "Woooo!" Flair, who? "Woooo! That's what I'm talking about," bays Flair, who howls at the end of the...
“Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work”
The documentary "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" follows the comic/actress/entertainer/performer in her 76th year. The raspy voice, off-color humor and plastic surgery popularly define the woman. The documentary, which...
“Despicable Me”
What makes a person a villain? What is it that makes a person turn bad? Why are villains more interesting than heroes? Though a cartoon, "Despicable Me" comes with a deep message. Gru (Steve Carrell) lives in a...
What is a pastor?
While getting less media attention in recent days than Lebron James and Mel Gibson, confusion over the pastoral roles of Robert Schuller and his daughter have kept the aging television preacher in the news.Sheila...
After Terrorist Bombing in Kampala, What Now for Somalia?
In light of Sunday's horrific bombings in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, by Somali militants, it was only a matter of time before proposals for a U.S.-backed invasion or bombing of Somalia started popping up, along...
British Charities: Overseas Aid Must Remain Priority
Christian charities in Great Britain have reiterated their belief that international aid should be protected from cuts after a poll suggested it would be among the public's top priorities for spending cuts. Nearly half...
View from the Gulf: A Local Seaman’s Perspective
Several weeks ago, when the Deepwater Horizon explosion triggered an oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, those who live along the coast and around the country began praying for containment and clean-up of the oil....
A man who told the truth
Robert "Bob" Bratcher died Sunday night (July 11), and the world is a poorer place with his passing. Bratcher, a Greek scholar and one of the world's most accomplished Bible translators, was best known for the modern...
Launch Any Good ‘Firewords’ Lately?
I make a lot of typographical errors. So, I am not hard on others, particularly bloggers and Facebook writers, who don't have the advantage – or disadvantage – of an editor. A friend was writing about watching a July 4...
When Mortgage Tops Home’s Value, Is Walking Away OK?
New ethical dilemmas show up all the time. While the issues change often, the big question remains: Is this right? Ethics, of course, is about matching behavior with beliefs. Some answers to ethical dilemmas are easier...