Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
I Learned Redemption From Johnny Cash
I don't know about you, but just about everything I know about sin, salvation and redemption I learned from Johnny Cash.I don't know about you, but just about everything I know about sin, salvation and redemption I...
Revere God’s Name in Word and Deed
The Lord's Prayer calls us to venerate the name of God in our discipleship. But the practice also demonstrates the extent to which ancient Hebrews went in making sure that references to God were reverent and...
Election-Year Artifact: “Same-Sex Unions and Child Sacrifice” Mailer
Monday's mail brought one in a large white envelope with these words splashed across the front: "Same-Sex Unions and Child Sacrifice: Obama, McCain, Jihad & The Judeo-Christian View." And below that: "Also Inside...
David’s advice for presidential candidates
Could our current presidential candidates learn anything from the biblical example of David, either before or after he became king? A recent invitation to lecture on "David and Leadership" for the Smoky Mountain...
When the Pursuit of Wealth Leaves Us Feeling Empty
Early signs as we go to press are good; the markets are picking up, and Gordon Brown has won plaudits from almost everyone for his and the Treasury's handling of the situation. That there are hard times ahead is...
Recapture Values That Reflect God
Do we love God and care about God's concerns? If not, then please defend your values legally, politically, or otherwise, but do not call them "Judeo-Christian." They are not. Judeo-Christian beliefs are rooted in...
Faithful Leaders Call for High Moral Standards
It began with an accusation, followed by a hasty denial. Then came the media inquiry. A tearful politician looked into the camera and talked about his marital indiscretion. Asking for forgiveness from the people, he...
Writing editorials
Part of my weekly routine as a new seminarian in the fall of 1978 was visiting the library's periodical section and reading newspapers on a stick. A variety of news sources were readily available there — for free.The...
Christians Concerned About Bangladesh Elections
Washington, D.C. (BWA) -- Christians in the Muslim-majority country of Bangladesh are concerned about general elections in the South Asian country set for Dec. 18 and sub-district elections on Dec. 24 and 28. The...
EthicsDaily.com DVD Wins Documentary Award at Black Film Festival
"Beneath the Skin: Baptists and Racism" won the award for best documentary at the International Black Film Festival of Nashville over the weekend. Cliff Vaughn, managing editor of EthicsDaily.com, and I knew "Beneath...
Festival Workshop Explores Arts in the Black Church
The black church must make sure its own artistic voices are welcomed there, said panelists at a recent workshop on the church's relationship to media and the arts. Music and film aren't gifts, but "the box the gift...
Three Questions for a Meaningful Career
I'll never forget the guttural moan of the woman across the aisle from me, in seat 26D. It was nearly primal, a combination of bass, regret, woe, shame and despair. I can't blame her. I'd do the same thing if I...
New life for a legend
Today a funeral service celebrates the life of J. Marse Grant, who died October 17 after a long period of declining health. Grant was 88. Despite suffering from diabetes most of his adult life, he controlled it with a...
Overcome the Divide-and-Conquer Question
The gospel's adversaries are not interested in honest discussion or answers, but in trying to impugn or divide so as to marginalize believers. The Pharisees, who were religious, and the Herodians, who most probably...
Don’t Be ‘Incurious’
Did anyone know just how incurious the president could be when he marched into the White House eight years ago? When asked to name a mistake he might have made in his first term he couldn't think of one. Even today...
What Do Islamic Women Want?
The question of what Islamic women want is asked in the larger context of who speaks for Islam, which raises these questions: What do a billion Muslims really think? How does one answer such questions? Who would dare...
Ancient autopsies
A recent discovery may not find its way into an Indiana Jones movie, but I found it intriguing: a diverse group of scientists and archaeologists has isolated the bacterium that causes tuberculosis from human bones that...
“The Secret Life of Bees”
Despite minor shortcomings in the translation from book to screen, "The Secret Life of Bees" stands as an emotionally fulfilling trip to the movies. "Bees," based on the popular 2002 novel by Sue Monk Kidd, is a story...
Stop Manipulating Prayer for Sectarian Division
Given the tendency for public prayer to degenerate into religious grandstanding and arrogance, it's no wonder Jesus instructed the bulk of our prayer to be accomplished in private. All last week, a group of Christians...
‘Is God Too Nice?’
Can you imagine what a business consultant would have said to Jesus after hearing this parable? Perhaps it would have been something like this. "Jesus, could I speak with you a moment about that story you just told. Do...
Ordinary Citizens Model Civil Discourse
A strange thing happened while I was standing in line on the first day of early voting: Civility broke out among us.I took my place in line. An older white man, a young black woman and an elderly white woman stood just...