Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Give me that Facebook religion
Religious faith fascinates me. Maybe that's why for so much of my life I have studied it, reported on it and tried to practice (with ongoing adjustments) a version that seems right and good to me.Even before entering a...
War and Peace
I confess that, though I started it twice, I never made it all the way through Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. I'm not at all afraid of long books, but I could never stir up much interest in the Napoleonic wars or the...
Obama Gives War Speech at Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony
Nine days after announcing that he wanted more war in Afghanistan to end the war there, the U.S. president – without a presidential portfolio of accomplishment – accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. As if he were...
“A Serious Man”
Joel and Ethan Coen, in my opinion, make great movies, but my opinion is not shared by all. A friend once said that the Coens' "Raising Arizona," a favorite of mine, is one of the stupidest movies he had ever seen. ...
Think You Can Solve Climate Woes? Maybe You’re Arrogant
It's hard to say the words climate change without evoking passionate feelings. Recently I slid down the slippery slope of attempting to engage a global-warming "skeptic" – online – by trying to fight science with...
A good question for this time of year
One Advent tradition in many churches is having a Nativity set in which the cast of characters grows each week until baby Jesus is placed in the empty manger on Christmas Eve. Another is to have a family within the...
Lou Dobbs: Immigration Reform’s New Champion?
Immigration reform as a political issue has been lost as we scream at each other endlessly over health care, who to blame for high unemployment, and the relative virtues and vices of Sarah Palin and President Obama....
Who’s More Likely to Steal Christmas? Grinch or Greed
The Christmas season is once again upon us and that means that we will again have the annual chance to view some of the old-time favorite holiday specials on TV. Whether one prefers "A Charlie Brown Christmas,"...
How to Determine When War is Just or Unjust
On Dec. 1, President Obama addressed the nation and made a case why more war was needed to bring the present war in Afghanistan to a close. Immediately, many ethicists charged that Obama's proposal failed the "just...
Make Ready
Sermon delivered by Keith Herron, pastor of HolmeswoodBaptistChurch in Kansas City, Mo., on December 6, 2009. Luke 3:1-6 While it doesn’t happen all that often, it’s interesting how a person can be linked to...
The Sign of Things to Come
Sermon delivered by Keith Herron, pastor of HolmeswoodBaptistChurch in Kansas City, Mo., on November 29, 2009. Luke 21:25-36 The feeling of expectation can be a powerful thing. No doubt the feeling of...
Let there be Peace on Earth
Sermon delivered by Bob Browning, pastor of Smoke Rise Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, G.A., on December 6 2009. Luke 1: 68-79 Our attention this morning is drawn to the birth of John the Baptist, the prophet who...
Some Good Advent Questions
This sermon was delivered by Wendell L. Griffen, pastor of NewMillenniumChurch in Little Rock, Ark, on December 6 2009. Malachi 3:1-5 Life is full of delays. From the moment a woman becomes pregnant, there is the...
Thy word have I conservatized
Andy Schlafly's "Conservative Bible Project" has been getting far more attention than it deserves already, but its agenda is worrisome enough to deserve comment nonetheless. Schlafly, the son of arch-conservative...
Climate Change Talks Begin Months after Evangelical Christians Confessed Sin
Before the United Nation's climate change talks started on Dec. 7 in Copenhagen, Denmark, evangelical Christians had confessed five months earlier in Kenya their sin for failing to care for God's environment. "We...
After Islamic Center’s Torched, Different Faiths Help
I recall reading once the following statement: "Focus on it, and it will grow." Our Islamic center was burned to the ground in February 2008. The blessing that followed this heinous act was that many in the community...
Swiss Ban Minarets. Will Baptists Voice Concern?
On Nov. 29, the Swiss approved a ban on the future construction of minarets. Minarets have become an international icon of the Islamic faith. They are the tall, slender towers that usually stand outside a mosque and...
‘Bobby first’ seems out of order
The Florida State Seminoles will play in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day. With a record of six wins and six losses, they don’t deserve to be there.But longtime coach Bobby Bowden announced recently that he would be...
Was It a Word of Prophecy in 2001 that Afghan War Would Be Unsuccessful?
When President George W. Bush spoke 10 days after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, to a joint session of Congress, he made the case for war in Afghanistan. Bush gave the Afghan government an ultimatum and told...
What Churches Can Learn from Ethnic Groups
Every time we return from a visit to our son and his family in the San Francisco area, I am struck by the multiracial, multi-ethnic, multicultural nature of the population there. I realize, of course, that the same...
Do Theological Schools Serve as Ethical Communities?
Theological schools, especially Baptist seminaries, should be living ethical communities. Not only should all Baptist seminaries have required courses in Christian ethics, but seminaries should give evidence at every...