Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Churches Must Face Reality, Stop Living in Past
Perhaps it is time for those of us who call ourselves Christians to take a look at the calendar. Although it is 2009, many of us still function as if it were 1980 – or even 1955. In "American Churches in Crisis," David...
Global Group Lends Insight to World Problems
I was raised to respect my elders in a way that went beyond saying "sir" and "ma'am" when addressing someone older than me. As I've grown closer to elderhood myself, I've learned to recognize that age doesn't always...
Grace and Hope
This sermon was delivered by Wendell Griffen, pastor of the New Millennium Church in Little Rock, Ark., on August 9, 2009. Psalm 130 The authors of my seminary textbook in Old Testament survey wrote this...
Living Bread
Sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, A.R., on August 2 2009. Psalm 34:1-8; John 6:41-51 In the story just preceding this one, the crowds of people...
Looking for Jesus
Sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, A.R., on August 2 2009. Exodus 16:9-15; John 6:24-35 Here they go, chasing after Jesus again. He just can’t...
Direct communication appreciated
Airport delays are as much a part of life as flat tires, stumped toes and other non-pleasantries. So I'm not whining.Neither am I dissing the airlines or airport personnel. My safety is in their hands and I'm grateful...
Budget priorities send sad message
Everyone who spends money makes choices about how to spend it. Whether we have an official budget or not, our spending choices say something about our priorities.In North Carolina, where the legislature finally...
Building Bridges: Crossing Valley of Racism
Baptists of various races gathered Thursday in Norman, Okla., for a discussion that a prominent Southern Baptist African-American pastor called "courageous, prophetic and appropriate." Dwight McKissic, pastor of...
“500 Days of Summer”
Few would argue that "Annie Hall" (1977) is not the definitive romantic comedy of the 1970s. The American Film Institute even went so far as to declare "Hall" to be the second greatest American romantic comedy ever –...
Mixed Martial Arts: New Entrée on Violence’s Menu
I watched a lot of television as a child. Though I saw no sexual content, I saw a lot of violence. Our culture will quickly shun public displays of nudity or the broadcast of profane language, but not blink an eye at a...
BWA nomination reflects well on Upton, BGAV
Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) executive John Upton's nomination to become the next Baptist World Alliance (BWA) president speaks well of this gifted leader and Virginia Baptists.Upton (left, in photo...
The Inevitable Gate
Sermon delivered by Howard Baston, pastor of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, T.X., on July 26 2009. Luke 23: 39-43 Death is something we all try to deny, something we try to put out of our mind – and yet it occupies...
Passing The Buck
Sermon delivered by Howard Baston, pastor of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, T.X., on July 19 2009. Luke 23:7 It sat on the president’s desk in the White House office. It was made in the Federal Reformatory at El...
Missouri Baptist Lawsuits: Winners and Losers
The lawsuits filed by the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) against five institutions that began selecting their own trustees in 2000 and 2001 have gone on for about seven years now. Only the one against Windermere...
Baptists Pray for Nigeria after Hundreds Killed
(BWA) – Recent violent outbreaks in Nigeria led the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) to pause during its General Council meeting in Ede, Netherlands, to offer prayer for the most populous country in Africa. More than 800...
Lost Valued Objects Warrant Intense Searches
I recently rented an underwater metal detector – a first for me – from a local scuba diving shop and helped my youngest son with an important search. He was swimming in a lake in a city park in Columbia, Mo., where he...
Listen to your elders
I was raised to respect my elders in a way that went beyond saying "sir" and "ma'am" when addressing someone older than me. As I've grown close to elderhood myself, I've learned to recognize that age doesn't always...
Global Baptists Talk about the Future of Their Faith Tradition
Global Baptist leaders are looking beyond the 400th anniversary beginnings of Baptists in the back room of a bakery in Amsterdam in 1609 to the decades to come in the 21st century. EthicsDaily.com asked Baptists...
Killing Trust “ One Sunday School Class at a Time
The recent passing of Walter Cronkite has, for many, signaled the end of an era in the American experience. The modern media consumer must listen to any number of carefully manicured hosts, each often espousing opinion...
Finding Common Ground with Sonia Sotomayor
I watched the Sonia Sotomayor hearings, not so much because I am interested in politics, but because as a professional Latina I wondered if I would have anything in common with her. I am a seminary-trained Latina who...
Whatever happened to summer?
Notebooks and other school supplies are flying off the shelves. Teachers are readying their classrooms. In some cases, yellow buses are starting to roll this week or the next.Whatever happened to summer? The...