Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Muslim Leader Asks for Help from Baptists
Muslim leader Sayyid Syeed told Baptists and Muslims on Friday night at the opening session of the first national dialogue between two faiths in the Abrahamic tradition that his religion needed the help of Baptists in...
Senators Must Be Immune to Abuse of Power
Could it be that Democratic leaders Harry Reid and Dick Durbin didn’t get immunized to the abuse of power? Let’s admit that this disease has been around for a long time in Washington, D.C. Eight years of George Bush...
Caution Needed on the Information Superhighway
A young stockbroker, who once belonged to a youth group I led back in the 1980s, refers to Facebook as “Internet crack cocaine.” He might be right, especially in the first month of “addiction” when there is a frenzy of...
“Christian Art” Competition Gives Artists Needed Recognition
If you search the Web for “Christian artists,” most of what comes up relates to Christian musicians. But some “Christian artists” work in media besides music. Some make short films. Some take photographs. Still others...
Biblical criticism, when the new becomes old
When I introduce the Old Testament to my students at Campbell University Divinity School, I begin by explaining why they must grapple with methods of Bible study that go beyond what they've picked up in Sunday School...
American Muslim, Baptist Leaders Hold Groundbreaking Meeting
Around 80 Baptist and Muslim leaders from across the nation gathered in Boston for a first-of-its-kind dialogue Jan. 9-11 in hopes of furthering mutual understanding and discovering areas of common ground. Held at the...
Faith Makeup of Congress Reflects That of Country
For many Christians there exists a prevailing mythology that America was established as a Christian nation. They envision the founders sitting around trying to put the language of Scripture into the framework of the...
Arkansas CBF Initiative on Racism Goes Viral
A virus broke out in early December in Little Rock, one that infects people of faith with a passion to do justice. Ground zero was, of all places, a Baptist church. And day one wasn’t even Sunday. The outbreak almost...
Church-going habits of presidents interesting
Daniel Burke of Religion News Service has a good piece on the churchgoing habits of U.S. presidents and the pressure on the incoming First Family to find a church home. (I'll link the article when it appears on the...
The IMB’s numbers game
A longstanding (un)believability issue with results reported by the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board has resurfaced. At least two recent blogs have questioned the reliability of baptisms and...
Making Sense of the Gaza Strip
Like me you’ve no doubt been following the current hostilities between Israel and Hamas. How much do you know about the situation? I’d like to offer a few bits of information as you seek to make sense of what’s...
New Leadership and Theological Transformation Might Reverse SBC Decline
Reversing the Southern Baptist Convention’s decline and loss of influence will demand new leadership and theological transformation, two very unlikely possibilities in the next decade. The SBC’s numerical slide and...
Clarity Is Needed in a Time of Uncertainty
Serious times call for serious people, and it's hard to imagine more serious times than these. War in Afghanistan is going badly (read the history books, and you will realise that the only non-Afghan who could not have...
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Time does strange things to opinions as moments for deeper reflection can alter what one originally thought. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a good example of how my opinion changed. Time does strange things...
The need for civility
Americans always feel somewhat battered after a long, intense, over-covered, bitter presidential campaign.Candidates and their supporters go overboard. They characterize opponents in the worst possible — even alarmist...
Nashville Faith Leaders Oppose English-only Campaign, SBC Leaders Are Silent
Many of Nashville’s faith leaders are expressing opposition to an effort to make English the only language in which the city government can offer services, considering it to be unjust, inhospitable, and detrimental to...
Don’t Make a Resolution ”Take the Physical Challenge Instead
My brother-in-law was banned from watching “Double Dare” when he was a child. Apparently, it made him too hyper when he witnessed the physical challenges that occurred when contestants couldn't answer the mind boggling...
A 2009 Challenge to the Church
Years ago I read in Flora Hicks' book, Time Gone By, how in the olden days a woman's work was never done. Not much has changed there, just the tools she uses and the types of work she does. In the olden days there was...
Factually Inaccurate Gaza Story Spreads on Religious News Sites
The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus once proclaimed, “In war, truth is the first casualty.” More than 2,000 years later, his words still ring true. A Jan. 5 Baptist Press article on the conflict in Gaza included...
Gaza: 100 Eyes for One
One hundred tons of bombs are Israel’s way of saying to the captive citizens of Gaza, “Merry Christmas, Happy Eid (feast) and Happy New Year.” These “gifts” that were showered from U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets...
Baptism Center in Jordan to Open in March
Washington, D.C. (BWA) -- The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) will lead a service of dedication for the new Baptism Center in Jordan at its official opening on March 20, 2009. The center is located on the bank of the...