Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Patient Autonomy Often Forgotten in Research
One of the hallmarks of bioethics is respect for personal autonomy. Modern ethicists have stressed this virtue to a fault. Competent patients have a right to refuse any medical intervention, even if those interventions...
When Jesus gets sullied
Jesus' encounter with the despised tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19) is one of the better known biblical stories because so many of us learned it by song during childhood. Yet the radical inclusiveness of Jesus...
Lord’s Supper Meditation: God In The Present Tense
A sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., on April 25, 2010. Psalm 23; John 10:22-30 You may not have given it much thought, but there’s a lot of references in...
Covenant Redux
A sermon delivered by Joel Snider, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rome, Ga., April 25, 2010. Joshua 24:14-28 Meditation Text: O Thou whose infinite love, made manifest in Jesus Christ, alone has power to destroy the...
Porch Talk
A sermon delivered by Robert Browning, Pastor, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., on April 25, 2010. John 10:22-30 I like porches. I grew up in a home that had a porch that wrapped around the front and...
A Clear Word
A sermon delivered by Howard Batson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Tx., on April 25, 2010. 1 Corinthians 14 My eyes were bigger than the saucers that go beneath a jumbo cup of coffee. I mean, how is a...
“V” Words for Life
A sermon delivered by Wendell Griffen, Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Ark., on April 25, 2010. Revelation 7:9-17 Perhaps few people would suggest looking to the last book of the Bible to gain a sense...
Criswell College Head Uses Ethnic Slur on Radio
The interim president of Criswell College recently used the ethnic slur "wetbacks" prior to teaching Sunday school at First Baptist Church of Dallas. Lamar Cooper's statement on April 25 was picked up live on a local...
Spreading the Gospel Doesn’t Need Gimmicks
Twice in the last month or so I have encountered some pretty egregious stuff that had the Christian label slapped across it. In one case, it was a church dishing out merchandise, its altar – excuse me, "stage" – decked...
An Open Letter to Sasha and Malia Obama
Dear Sasha and Malia, Your dad's been working hard for the American people, and as one of the 46 million Americans who lacked health insurance, I'm thankful. As a graduate student who uses the student loan program, I'm...
British Baptists: One World “ One Mission
Editor's note: The Baptist Union of Great Britain gathered for its annual assembly from April 30 to May 3. Some 1,500 participants were expected. Speakers addressed poverty and the Micah Challenge. Two resolutions were...
Teaching Our Children the Value of Prayer
The Kentucky Baptist Fellowship held its annual Spring Gathering in the small town of Stanford, Ky., on April 23-24. I gathered with other Baptists from around the state to learn, network, encourage and worship. What...
National Day of Prayer: Facts and Fiction
Let's think for a moment about a national day of prayer. And, of course, the context of our reflection will be the National Day of Prayer scheduled to be observed on the first Thursday in May. First, a few distortions...
Staring at Thomas
Whenever I'm in the vicinity of West Jefferson, Holy Trinity Church in nearby Glendale Springs draws me like a spiritual lodestone. The tiny Episcopal church was built in 1901, closed in 1946, and reopened in 1980...
Couldn’t agree more
From the Presidential Proclamation on the 2010 National Day of Prayer: Let us rejoice for the blessing of freedom both to believe and to live our beliefs, and for the many other freedoms and opportunities that bring us...
CBF’s Future: Walls Or Windmills
Editor's note: Some 84 leaders of Baptist organizations related to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship met April 27-29 at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. The retreat was convened by Babs Baugh, president of the...
Muslim Groups Promote Physical Fitness
We are a fat nation. Modernity combined with long hours of sitting or reclining while watching TV, playing video games and keeping up with our social media networks are taking a toll on us. Snacking on cheap,...
Tea Partiers Colorblind to Arizona’s Fascism
Where are the tea party patriots when you need them? Finally, a government policy is enacted into law that truly demonstrates a fascistic trend – and yet, total silence from tea party activists. Here is a law worth...
Lessons from the dark side
The Atlanta Braves are terrible. They have not won a game in more than a week.Yet, since they moved southward in 1966, my loyalty has been for better or worse. But the worst part needs to stop soon.So I keep listening,...
One Woman’s Mission to India’s Poor
Leena Lavanya awakens at her home in India about 4 a.m. each day after a four-hour sleep. She prays for two hours, then makes her rounds from 7 to midnight. Rounds include a leper colony, a hospice home for HIV...
Part 2: Fear of Compromise Hinders Interfaith Dialogue
Editor's note: This is the second part of a two-part series on interfaith dialogue. Some Christians are fearful of interfaith dialogue because they think such engagement results in compromising the faith, dodging the...