Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
October 31, 2018
On Social Media, No Answers for Hate (New York Times) Can Artificial Intelligence Help Stop Religious Violence (BBC) Baptist Leaders Condemn Synagogue Shooting (Baptist Standard) Jews Assail ‘Christian Rabbi’ Who...
Demonizing people reveals whose side you’re on
By John D. Pierce Jesus was in the business of casting out devils, not creating them out of the very people whom he loved through his life, death and resurrection. So it is telling when those who profess his name today...
Last Week in America, Our Worst Demons Emerge
Last week in America, our worst demons emerged from the shadows. Our inability to address our bigoted attitudes and policies fuels the flames of those seeking a scapegoat for their problems. We must appeal to our better angels.
Are We Desensitizing Ourselves to Violence? Lord, Have Mercy
While news of reprehensible things still shocks and unsettles most of us, we are undergoing a public desensitization, which will result in our merely noting, not decrying and crying over, these awful things. Lord, have mercy.
Majority of Religious-Bias Hate Crimes in U.S. is Anti-Jewish
Anti-Jewish sentiment is the basis for a majority of the hate crimes with a religious bias each year in the U.S., according to an EthicsDaily.com analysis of FBI data.
October 30, 2018
‘Respond to Evil with Good’: American Muslim Community Raises Funds for Victims of Synagogue Shooting (Washington Post) Trump’s America is Not a Safe Place for Jews (Washington Post) Why Authoritarian Personalities...
Emerging Voices | How Your Church Can Help College Students
For many college students, hunger and even homelessness are an ongoing struggle. However, churches today can lessen the stress of food and housing insecurity of these students.
Gluing Yourself Back Together After Mental Health Struggles
A Baptist minister overcame his struggle with anxiousness by becoming more resilient through mindfulness, making him more mindful of his mental health and of God.
Adults Hold Mix of Traditional, Nontraditional Evangelical Beliefs
While U.S. adults express many beliefs affirming evangelical positions, many affirm views typically deemed unorthodox by evangelicals, a report found.
October 29, 2018
First Baptist Church of Oklahoma Calls Its First Ever Female Pastor (NewsOK) 72 Hours in America: Three Hate-Filled Crimes. Three Hate-Filled Suspects. (CNN) Bomb Suspect, Trump Loyalist Wanted ‘Wanted to Go Back to...
Lessons In Giving From Children And The Tooth Fairy
By: Ginger Hughes The Tooth Fairy visited our house again this week. Our little girl lost another tooth, and she was thrilled. She wrote the sweetest note to the Tooth Fairy thanking her for the money she’d left for...
The Unholy Alliances Surrounding the Khashoggi Affair
Do we make a pact with the devil if the money is good enough? In the aftermath of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, we face a test of our morality and the extent to which we are willing to bend our ethics for utilitarian purposes.
Confidence in Death Penalty Application Hits All-Time Low
For the first time in Gallup’s polling history, U.S. confidence in the fair application of capital punishment dipped below 50 percent.
October 26, 2018
Racist Grocery Store Shooter First Tried to Enter a Black Church, Police Say (Think Progress) Trumpism is Identity Politics for White People (The Atlantic) Pastor Points Out Crucial Difference Between Patriotism and...
Evangelicals: Losing Faith to Gain Power
In their quest to attain political power, right-wing evangelicals have abandoned their theological conscience rooted in divine love, grace and justice. But they can still turn from their lust for power.
October 25, 2018
Paige Patterson: Social Justice Movement Causing Upheaval in Southern Baptist Convention (Capstone Report) The Health Department’s Christian Crusade (Rolling Stone) The Onward March of Christian Political Power...
Good doubt
By John D. Pierce Through his 1965 book, The Christian Agnostic, Leslie Weatherhead taught me to distinguish between rejecting faith and constructively rethinking what I’d been taught about faith. I discovered that...
Profiles in Goodwill: Garrett Vickrey
Garrett Vickrey is senior pastor of Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio.
The Puritans Were Right: Stop Checking Your Email
In 24/7-always-on work culture, it’s hard to find time to break away from work and rest. How do we make time for a true break from our labor? The Puritans put it in perspective.
October 24, 2018
Can a Christian Foster Care Group Reject Non-Christians? The Trump Administration May Say Yes. (Vox) The Evangelical Women Who Reject Trump (BBC) ‘MAGA Mom’ Compiles All of Trump’s Tweets in Bible-Like Book, Sells it...
Eugene Peterson: A Contemplative Pastor Who Practiced What He Preached
The news of Eugene Peterson’s death will be greeted by thousands of pastors with a mixture of reactive sadness that his life has ended, but also with enduring gratitude that it was lived the way he lived it.