Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Living with stress
Living with stress, I'm convinced, is a good thing -- the only people who have no stress are dead.Stress can be hard on you, and some types of stress are much harder than others. But, as a series of articles in the...
Federal Government Launches Underfunded Media Campaign to Encourage Marriage
With a growing percentage of Americans avoiding wedlock, the federal government has decided to fund a $5 million media campaign to promote marriage, beginning this month. That’s right, a whopping $5 million. The...
And the Truth Will Make You …
Sermon delivered by Charles Poole, senior pastor of Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss., at McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, Ga., on Feb. 17, 2009. Acts 11:1-18 Now the apostles and the believers* who...
“Coraline”
Movies fill a screen with images, which flash in front of our eyes and create an emotional response. When movies work, they work more on the visual level than on any other. “Coraline” is the most visually stimulating...
SBC Delays Action to Remove Broadway Baptist Church from Membership
A motion made at last year’s Southern Baptist Convention to remove Ft. Worth’s Broadway Baptist Church from membership in the SBC over the issue of homosexuality was discussed today by the...
God, the Globe and Greed
My eyes wandered beyond the sermon text to an addendum to the healing story of Naaman the leper by Elisha, the prophet of God. When Elisha refused payment for the healing, a servant decided to cash in. He caught up...
Would Jesus Carry a Gun to Church?
The Arkansas House passed a bill earlier this week that would lift a ban on guns being carried into houses of worship. The measure is now heading to the Arkansas Senate for a vote. Growing up in rural Arkansas, I have...
I Am Not Open-Minded
During a talk on Judaism delivered at a synagogue last week, I nonchalantly mentioned that I thought of myself as a humanist. I went on to define this as someone who assumed that all systems of belief were of human...
A four-year degree?
During my college years in the '70s, we made a point of finishing on time. In fact, a Bachelor degree was often referred to as a "four-year degree."Only a slacker would drag things out much longer, eliciting the...
The Compassionate Community
Sermon delivered by Keith Herron, pastor of Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, M.O., on Feb. 15, 2009. Mark 1:40-45 Poet Robert Frost’s work is known for its conversational style and tone. In fact several...
Moved with Pity
Sermon delivered by Randy Hyde, pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, A.R., on Feb. 15, 2009. Psalm 30:1-12; Mark 1:40-45 Now, I know Mark is a short gospel, at least the shortest of the four. Just...
Office Has Potential to Remedy Some Biases
Is it really better for government and religion to stay out of each other's affairs? This is a question that Joshua DuBois, the new director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships...
Little Rock Pastors Recall Ministry at Crossroads of History
Former pastors, ministers and staff members at Second Baptist Church in Little Rock gathered there recently on the church’s 125th anniversary to dialogue about ministry. Their discussion not only illuminated how one...
I Want to Go to Iraq
Not today, or tomorrow. Probably not for several years, and certainly not as a soldier -- but I want to go to Iraq. I want to go as a tourist, a student, a pilgrim of sorts. I want to see where Western civilization was...
Churches Must Be Strengthened, Not Captive, to Past
A number of new churches have formed in the last 16 years that have chosen to affiliate with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Some have developed into strong, growing congregations while others have remained rather...
Good neighbors go the distance
I've been reflecting on the lengths to which some folks go to help others -- not because they get paid for it, or even because they get a big "thank you," but because they take Jesus' command to love their neighbors...
Christian Right’s New Sling Blade Against Obama: Socialism
The cry of “socialism” is the Christian Right’s new sling blade in its attacks against President Barack Obama, disclosing full-throated anger and repeating the same charge as the political right. “I predict the Obama...
Film Offers Starting Point for Deeper Relationships
I had the privilege of watching Beneath the Skin: Baptists and Racism at the Texas Black Film Festival Feb 5-7. The film from EthicsDaily.com was nominated for Best Documentary and shown with more than 40 films at the...
Know What Matters Most to You
What matters most? Recently, I endured a bit of "down time" as I recovered from surgery. My normal routine seldom provides much in the way of down time. I can't say I enjoyed the experience, but it did have an up side:...
British Pastor: “Challenge Consensus on Economy”
Employment is a moral issue which involves issues of justice and fairness, according to a Baptist pastor and chaplain to the Christian Socialist Movement. The Rev. Ian Tutton, pastor of Hampstead Garden Suburb Free...
Pastorate is tougher now
While having never served as a full-fledged pastor, I get to play one on many Sundays. It gives me even greater respect for those who follow that unique calling.Some of my closest friends are pastors — and some are...