Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Baptists’ Rallying Cry: Let Freedom Ring for All
To hear some Christians talk, it would appear the church in contemporary Britain is under attack from every side. If that is so, why the surprise? Christianity began with a man under fire. So did the Baptist cause....
Diverse Faith Groups Rally for Health Care
The clock is ticking on President Obama's health care reform plan, and not necessarily in his favor. The inertia in this session of Congress regarding any health care reform bill is evident and bipartisan. ...
Major Moments in Global Baptist History (Part One)
As global Baptists celebrate 400 years of history during the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) annual gathering in Ede, the Netherlands, two special sessions highlighted significant markers of Baptist life in the BWA’s six...
At An Hour You Do Not Know
Sermon delivered by Joel Snider, pastor of First Baptist Church in Rome, Ga., on July 26, 2009. Luke 12:35-40 Meditation Text: We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God . . . We must not...
Professor Addresses Stem Cell Research at BWA Gathering in Netherlands
The human embryo is a human being with moral status whether in a test tube or a woman's womb and deserves enough respect not to be destroyed for its stem cells, argued a philosophy professor in an academic paper...
“Away We Go”
In the midst of all the explosions, floating houses and pubescent wizards, there is a smaller, more intimate film making its way through the multiplex this summer. "Away We Go" is one of the best discoveries to be...
Will We Make Sure Everyone Has an Abundance?
The theologian who wrote the Gospel of John was clearly trying to cover a lot of bases. So the reader can assume that there's probably not just one point going on in any one text, but several. By now, in the history...
Newsblog: Bullard to lead NABF
EDE, THE NETHERLANDS -- George Bullard, a frequent consultant to denominational entities and strategic coordinator for the Columbia Partnership, will become General Secretary of the North American Baptist Fellowship...
Paralysis of Analysis
Sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, A.R., on July 26 2009. Psalm 145:10-18; John 6:1-15 Imagine what it might have been like had our church been...
Global Baptists Hear Reports of Religious Discrimination, Interfaith Engagement
Baptists still face state-sponsored religious discrimination, 400 years after the first Baptists sought religious freedom from the intolerant King James I of England, head of the Church of England. One such place is...
Ethical Guidelines for Witnessing to Muslims, Christians
British Christians and Muslims have tackled a thorny theological problem for both faiths — how to be faithful to the missionary impulse in one's own tradition while respecting the other tradition. Launched in January...
Texas Curriculum Battle Shifts to History
The battle over the curriculum in Texas public schools has shifted from the science lab to the history classroom. As Texas educators gather later this summer to write new social studies standards for Texas public...
Could Authority Be An Issue in Gates Incident?
Authority presents itself as an interpretative lens in the gospels over two dozen times. Jesus speaks with authority. Jesus sees the centurion as one who understands authority. Jesus stands before those with authority....
A Walk in Ede
The busiest days of the Baptist World Alliance annual gathering don't start until Tuesday, July 28, so I had only a full afternoon of meetings, leaving enough free time to find a grocery store this morning (for Diet...
A Taste of Amsterdam
The annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance is being held this week in the town of Ede, in the Netherlands, about 45 miles inland from Amsterdam, where the first Baptist church was begun 400 years ago. We'll...
Changing Tradition Is Part of Baptist DNA, Says Dutch Theologian
A Dutch theologian told global Baptists on the opening night of a three-day celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of their faith in Amsterdam in 1609 that change was at the heart of their tradition. ...
Hate Crimes Bill Won’t Restrict Sermons
Several Christian conservative leaders are doing some serious fretting about a pending hate crimes bill. Congressional Democrats have proposed adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of federally...
Hot Topics Make Up ‘Sweet Justice’ Series
The justice element was already out there. The "sweet" was added when an idea sprouted over a lot of coffee and a lot of chocolate late one night. Thus, Second Baptist Church of Little Rock, Ark., dedicated Wednesday...
Walking Between the Raindrops
Sermon delivered by Keith Herron, pastor of Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo., on July 26, 2009. 2 Samuel 11: 1-15 Our Bible story today should be rated R for adults but I’ll preach it in PG fashion for the...
In praise of editorial freedom
The editor was in Germany so the phone call to The Christian Index office was forwarded to me (the managing editor at the time). It was an influential pastor and elected leader of the Georgia Baptist Convention (GBC)...
Tweeting the wall
On a recent trip to Israel, we explained to participants the tradition of folding written prayers and tucking them into a crack or crevice in Jerusalem's famous Western Wall (also known as the "Wailing Wall," or in...