Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Apathy, Protest Votes Propel British Far-Right Group’s Victory
"For evil to triumph, it is only necessary that good men do nothing," said the famous 18th-century politician Edmund Burke. That is the tradition, anyway; in fact exhaustive searches of his works have failed to turn...
Claiming Colorblindness: A Myth That Needs to be Debunked
No sooner did President Obama nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court than racists began to make derogatory remarks based on her ethnicity. Judge Sotomayor should not be confirmed just because she is a...
Sense of Community Can’t Be Discovered in Some Churches
After nearly three years visiting almost every place that serves Sunday breakfast in Nashville, I think I found the best one – the one that I could visit over and over again. Of course, I need to go there again to make...
Faith Stories and Faith Lessons
This sermon was delivered by Wendell Griffen, pastor of the New Millennium Church in Little Rock, Ark., on June 14, 2009. Mark 4:26-34 Everyone loves stories. For as long as humans can remember, stories have been a...
Eyewitness to history
My friend Marshall Kerlin was knelt down in the aisle behind home plate in old Atlanta Stadium on April 8, 1974 when Hank Aaron hit home run #715 to surpass Babe Ruth. I've heard about it over and over again for more...
Urban Gardening
Sermon delivered by Bob Browning, pastor of Smoke Rise Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, G.A., on June14 2009. Mark 4: 26-34. It has been almost seventy years since one was on the White House lawn. During...
Not Grading on the Curve
Sermon delivered by Howard Baston, pastor of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, T.X., on June 14 2009. Luke 18: 9-17. It was the 1980s, and Mike and Marilyn Standefer were directors in the College Department. Sue and...
Carpal diem
About halfway through a very intense second week of work building an outdoor patio (see previous blog), both of my hands went nearly numb. I'd done a lot of shoveling, a lot of lifting, a lot of moving heavy objects....
The “Others” We Serve Aren’t All That Different From Us
I've heard the missional church movement referred to as the second reformation, an equator shift, the coming of the "others," the globalization of the church, the coming of southern Christianity and the list could go...
Best Pastors Are More Than Skilled Leaders “ They’re Artists
I recently commented that leading a church is an art, not a science. My friend, Jack Mercer in Virginia, reminded me that "organizational leadership of any sort is an art. Max Depree's observation that leadership was...
True Christian Moderates Seek Truth Wherever It Leads
My name is Mike – and I'm a moderate. There, I said it and I feel better. I'm a practical moderate. I try to live a moderate lifestyle, doing little to excess – except when I find a dish of real banana pudding. I'm a...
SBC Program Is Virtually All White, All Male; ABC Program Is Multi-Cultural
If the Southern Baptist Convention believes that actions speak louder than words, then its action of having a program of virtually all whites and all males places a big question mark over the convention's 2009 meeting...
Too Many Politicians Please Party Leaders, Not Constituents
Given a polity of democracy, one would think that American politicians would always be aiming to please the constituencies they represent. After all, those voters are the ones who determine whether a politician stays...
Big Dreams? Telling Others is Key to Fulfilling Your Vision
I receive a lot of email from people asking me questions. I'm happy to reply as it allows for intimate idea-sharing as well as a natural back-and-forth that I enjoy. After a recent exchange with a friend who has some...
Least Likely
Sermon delivered by Keith Herron, pastor of Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo., on June 14, 2009. I Samuel 15:34-16:13 For the summer the focus of our worship will come from the Bible’s stories about David,...
Southern Baptists Continue Crusade Against Public Schools
Imagine a school where a religious holy book is the primary textbook, modern science is seen as suspect, males are separated from females, unbelievers are the enemy, and 21st century culture is viewed with hostility....
Digging for Truth: Good Newspapers Deliver Essential Service
The locus of big news in North Carolina in June has been North Carolina State University, where Chancellor James Oblinger and Provost Larry Nielsen have resigned after evidence uncovered by Raleigh's News &...
What Does it Mean to Say All Scripture is Inspired by God?
One of the fundamental tenets of Christianity is the belief in the inspiration of scripture. The author of Second Timothy writes, "All scripture is inspired by God." The word translated as "inspired" literally means...
On the level
Here's a picture of our new patio. I invested most daylight hours for the past two weeks on it, hoping to complete it before Jan returned from a trip to London and Ireland, so I'm happy to see it done (though not as...
CAUTION: Demolition work continues
An Atlanta man learned Monday that his family home in Carrollton, Ga., had been demolished. Apparently the destruction crew showed at the wrong address.According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report, the house had...
The curse of cussing
I woke up early this morning, as I often do, pondering what might be worthy of a blog, or at least halfway entertaining. I got up and scanned the newspaper for ideas, where I learned not only the real news, but also...