Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Meeting the Father of Jesus in Washington, Expanding the National Vocabulary
The last place one would expect to meet the father of Jesus is in a Washington, D.C., office shoehorned between the Supreme Court and the Dirksen Senate Office Building. But meet him I did. And he is a Muslim. Yes,...
In The Year 2059, Exactly What Will the Church Look Like?
What will the church look like in 50 years? We all know that something is afoot and have seen the decline in membership in many churches. Many know people that have never, and never plan, to go to a church. The...
When Man Plays God: Taking Away Creation’s Breath
The psalmist covers most but not all of the possibilities. In praise to God's wisdom and power, the psalmist says that when God chooses to hide God's face, the creatures of the earth "are dismayed," and when God...
Working Bible magic
For divinity school students, pastors, and Sunday School teachers, some heavy Bible study comes with the job, but good tools for better study should appeal to anyy growing Christian. If you're looking for a resource...
Southern Baptists Dragging Feet on Urgent Global-Warming Issues
Two significant conferences on environmental matters took place at the same time in May and only 250 miles apart. One was Al Gore's North American summit in Nashville that focused on the ethics and equity of climate...
Church’s ‘Beneath the Skin’ Sessions Spark Candid Dialogue
Our congregation used the "Beneath the Skin" DVD and study guide for a Wednesday night break-out group this May. The video, broken into shorter segments, and the free study guide provided at EthicsDaily.com were very...
Supreme Court Nominee’s Diabetes Can Be Teachable Moment
Well, things are heating up on this side of the Atlantic with President Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. The conservatives (who were pretty obviously geared up to bash any and every...
Blowin’ in the Wind
Sermon delivered by Keith Herron, pastor of Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, M.O., on May 31 2009. Acts 2:1-21 Whenever you read from the New Testament, you need to pay attention to what I...
Sitting for the cycle
You could call it a fan's version of a grand slam — or perhaps a round- tripper. By whatever name, my friend Marshall Kerlin of Americus, Ga., and I took in baseball games at all four professional levels last...
Normal is as normal does
Do you ever congratulate yourself on being more normal than everyone else? It's easy to do. What's normal to us, we assume, is the real normal -- it's other people who are odd.On a recent getaway, Jan and I were...
A Bible for America Reveals Spiritual Arrogance and Ignorance
I am grateful to Brian Kaylor, a contributing editor at EthicsDaily.com, for making me aware of a recent development at the Thomas Nelson publishing house. Thomas Nelson is one of the largest Christian publishers in...
Sotomayor’s Privileged Critics Hurl Clueless Charges of Racism
I always find it curious that those who have spent most of their lives advocating legislation and policies detrimental to communities of color are usually among the first to accuse people of color of being racists....
For Some Churches, Taking the Spirit Seriously is Too Much to Handle
As we look forward to Pentecost Sunday on May 31, I wonder why so many churches appear hesitant to put forward a clear emphasis on the dimension of God as Spirit. Growing up in Baptist churches, I remember how...
After Obama’s Election, Much Work Awaits Us to Fulfill King’s Dream
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, the day following the national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I stood in the crowd of more than one million to watch as Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office not only as...
Obama’s Election Inches Nation Closer to True Integration
How is the Obama presidential election different from any other in our national history? In 1963 as a child in the third grade, I was told I could be president of the United States because it was a democracy. At home,...
Society’s Structural Sin Oppresses Marginalized Communities
It is not surprising that a hyper-individualistic culture would reduce sin and salvation to the personal. For many Euro-American Christians, sin is an action, or omission, committed by an individual who now stands...
Carbon Capture Policy Will Lead to Carbon Dioxide Increase
The British government's recent announcement about a new generation of coal-fired power stations has been criticized by a prominent Baptist campaigner. David Golding said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's plan,...
Those ‘Beyond the River’ in This Life Aren’t Different From Us
The old gospel song "There's a Land Beyond the River" speaks longingly of a life beyond the present one. In so doing, it taps into and gives voice to a soul wish that is pretty close to universal. Given the travail...
Endings and Beginnings
Sermon delivered by Bob Browning, pastor of Smoke Rise Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, G.A., on May 24 2009. Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11 “Nothing will get you out of an inning quicker than a triple play,”...
Supreme Court Nominee’s Critics Lack Sense of Decency
The nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States by President Barack Obama has electrified the Hispanic community in America. Now the largest minority group in the United States,...
“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”
I took my youngest son to see "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." When it was done, he asked why they made this movie. I told him that sequels are made to latch on to the success of the first movie. His...