Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Little Easters
Late in the day on Sunday, our church gathered for our traditional "Easter sunset service" (I suppose we feel more akin to the curious disciples on the road to Emmaus than the spice-laden women at the tomb). We meet on...
Short-Term Mission Trips: Are They a Waste of Time?
Much has been written charging that short-term missions are, if not a waste, at least a poor use of time and money. For the host of one such mission to Liberia, they are nothing of the sort. An argument can be made...
G20’s Solutions Not Enough to Turn Around Economic Crisis
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown achieved more than he can even have hoped for from this April's G20 summit. He has been heralded in the media as the champion of a new world order. But the praise heaped on the...
This World Could Use More Good Samaritans
Two good friends of mine had a harrowing experience yesterday: an 18-year-old daughter went missing on the way home from a long-distance visit with friends the previous night. A frantic day of path-tracing, phone...
Obama Speaks About Islam in Turkey, Baptists and Muslims Speak Together in Oklahoma
When President Barack Obama addressed the Turkish Parliament last Monday, stating clearly that the United States was not at war against Islam, I was in Oklahoma preparing to interview for a documentary Baptists and...
A Different Kind of Morning
By John Pierce“Time to get up.” Faintly, I could hear those words coming from the foot of my bed and quickly recognized the voice of my father. Nothing thereafter happened quickly. The gradual opening of my groggy eyes...
Getting things right on Good Friday
On a day when many people have the day off, the editorial staff of Baptists Today will spend at least part of Good Friday proofreading the next issue. It seems somehow appropriate.Proofreading is a persistent chore for...
God’s Comeback: Editors Claim Rise in Faith Will Help Economy
You would think during a distressful economic crisis such as the one we are facing now, people would be flocking to places of worship seeking divine guidance and intervention. Amazingly, that is not the case. According...
This Easter, Don’t Get All Worked Up Over the Bunny
Once while serving in a church with a retired Army colonel and his native Korean wife, a conversation about the basics of the Christian faith led me to ask her, "Do you have any questions about our celebration of...
Easter Excludes Being a Muslim Christian Priest
Straight from the ecclesiastical "Believe It or Not!" department comes the following headline: "Episcopal Priest Defrocked for Wanting to Remain a Muslim." According to a news story released by the Seattle Times,...
Why the Environment Should Top Christians’ Agenda
At the beginning of 2008 I had the opportunity to visit Nepal, organized by BMS World Mission. One of the projects I visited was the People, Energy, Environment and Development Association, where I met Narayan Prasad...
BWA Sends Condolences to Italians Hit by Earthquake
(BWA) – Baptist World Alliance (BWA) General Secretary Neville Callam has offered condolences and prayerful support to the people of Italy following a devastating earthquake that hit Abruzzo, in the central region of...
Into Jerusalem
Sermon delivered by Keith Herron, pastor of Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, M.O., on Apr. 5 2009. Mark 11: 1-11. Like the ancient Greek masks for theater, this is a day with two faces. Some churches celebrate...
How to Make Holy Week Special
Sermon delivered by Bob Browning, pastor of Smoke Rise Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, G.A., on Apr. 5 2009. Mark 11: 1-11 . Christians from all over the world are gathering on the Mount of Olives about this hour....
Images of Atonement: Sacrifice
Sermon delivered by Joel Snider, pastor of First Baptist Church in Rome, G.A., on Apr. 5 2009. Hebrews 10:11-18 I think all of us know that about 2,000 years have passed since the time of Christ. If you are not a...
Lament as a Wintry Spirituality
This sermon was delivered by Graham Walker, associate dean for the master of divinity degree program and professor of theology at McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, Ga., on April 7, 2009. Psalm 22 My God, my God,...
Rest stop ahead
In a recent newsletter from Mount Zion Baptist Church in Macon, Ga., pastor Stan Braley announced that the congregation will experience Sabbath Week — beginning at the conclusion of worship on Easter Sunday.No church...
Knee-Bending Lifestyle Places Others Before Self
The Apostle Paul tells the Christians in Philippi that every knee ought to bend at the name of the God-exalted Jesus and that every tongue ought to confess that the God-chosen Jesus is the guide and governor of all of...
Real-Life Examples Hint at Awakening in Churches
I am excited about the future of the church. While it seems to go against the grain of many national trends and predictions, I am noticing an emerging directional shift. In just one short week of normal pastoral...
The End of Christian America? Not By a Long Shot
My blood pressure raised a few points when I read MSN's front-and-center headline: "The End of Christian America." The article reported that according to the 2009 American Religious Identification Survey the number...
Gambling with the future (updated)
A new study by the lottery industry says hooking more young gamblers could provide up to $14 billion more in funding for schools. Most lottery gamblers are over 35, the study found, women play less than men, and young...