Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Supporting House Climate Bill Gives Concreteness to Moral Imperatives
People of faith should support "The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that gives concreteness to the twin moral imperatives of care for creation and care for...
“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”
It's been three years since "Night at the Museum" —the original that found Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) learning how to succeed as a night guard in a museum where everything comes to life at sunset. The entire gang is...
Priceless
I mentioned in my last blog that Jan and I were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary with a short vacation getaway on Captiva Island, sans computers.Some who know my proclivity for keeping Mr. Macbook at hand might...
When things don’t work
In an earlier era, my friends and I drove high-mileage, less-reliable cars that bounced along on "May-Pop" tires. We didn’t take for granted that our cars would start or get us to every intended destination. We just...
Sweeping Energy Bill Passes House Committee Along Party Lines
When a key U.S. House of Representatives committee approved a sweeping clean energy and climate-change bill on May 21, an already intense lobbying campaign ratcheted up even higher. The House Energy and Commerce...
When We Condone Torture, Be Prepared for What We’ll Harvest
What did you learn about torture growing up in the church? Thinking back, I recall that going to church involved a lot of sitting still and being quiet. I did not like to sit still nor did I like being quiet. I cannot...
Obama’s Election Represents a Giant Step Forward for America
Americans like to say that in this country, anyone can grow up to be president. Until Nov. 4, 2008, that was inarguably true – as long as you were born white and male. Today, a 47-year-old African American who was born...
From a Biblical Perspective, Is the Church Really King?
Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt said in a recent interview that "the church is king." "If the church is king," he said, "anyone else that speaks to us is a prince speaking to the king." Hunt was...
Anniversaries
As I write these words, I'm anticipating a 25th wedding anniversary trip with my wife Jan. We'd originally planned to celebrate the big number with a trip to Mexico, but something called H1N1 put the quietus on that....
Audacity of Faith: Reflection on Election of Barack Obama
I confess that while the election and inauguration of Barack Obama has taken place, I am only cautiously optimistic that our country will seize upon this opportunity to move toward the reconciliation that I firmly...
Liberty University Excommunicates College Democrats
Liberty University recently informed leaders of its College Democrats chapter that the club would no longer be recognized by the university. The school founded by the late Jerry Falwell just recognized the chapter last...
Oregon Protects Kids from Sexual Predators. Why Can’t Churches?
The Oregon legislature passed a law on May 7 prohibiting school administrators from making deals that hide the sexual misconduct of teachers who resign. These sorts of deals are so common that they have a nickname –...
Trusting Relationships Become Foundation of Mission Work
Are we entering a new phase of Christian missions that can best be described as a web of relationships with local churches as part of the mix? I think something new is developing that is changing the face of Christian...
Replacing Judas
Sermon delivered by Keith Herron, pastor of Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, M.O., on May 24 2009. Acts 11:15-17, 21-26. You realize a life has been tragically misspent when a hangman’s noose and a fistful of...
White cars
I just bought my fourth white car in a row. White can be boring, I know, but several studies I've read have shown white cars to be more visible than darker ones, and less likely to be involved in crashes.Not that it...
Top 10 Reasons Not to Display the Ten Commandments
A reader of my column in White County, Georgia, alerted me recently to a development at the courthouse there. Following the lead of many government entities around the country, county officials have established a...
Publisher’s “American Patriot’s Bible” Draws Strong Criticism
Christian publishing giant Thomas Nelson has released a new Bible with nationalistic facts, quotations and pictures scattered throughout scriptures. Called The American Patriot's Bible, it was edited by Richard G. Lee,...
Can We Rekindle Our Love for Society’s Less Fortunate?
Given the divorce rate in this country, it's pretty clear that quite a few folks have trouble staying in love. A host of contextual and cultural reasons, even justifications, exist for the phenomenon, despite the...
The Bell and the Spire
Sermon delivered by Dr. Joel Snider, pastor of First Baptist Church in Rome, Ga., on May 17, 2009. John 12:20-33 Meditation Text: “I, if I be lifted up!” There is energy there to redeem us all. There is energy there to...
From the outside looking in
My only view of congregational life has been from the inside. Having never lived apart from a "church family," my unvarnished perspective is vastly different from those who view the church from the outside. Like many,...
Report to the Faith Community from Three Days with Al Gore
Al Gore's North American summit in Nashville began on May 14 with a laser-focused address on the ethics and equity of climate change, really the ethics of the inequity of global warming's impacts on the marginalized. ...