Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Pastor Accused in Church-Starting Scandal Sues Texas Baptists for Libel
A pastor named in a 2006 church-starting scandal has sued the Baptist General Convention of Texas for libel, slander and defamation over allegations that he misappropriated church funds. Otto Arango, one of three...
Is anyone really fooled?
China's futile public relations effort to portray itself as something other than it is extends to ridiculous levels. For example, Beijing is notorious for having some of the worst smog in the world. Despite government...
Pastor Wonders About Friends in Georgia War Zone
I just made my eighth trip to Georgia in June to celebrate the wedding of Malkhaz Songulashvili, archbishop of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, and his beloved Ala Kavtaradze. I've gone to Georgia for nearly...
Moral Amnesia about SBC’s Withdrawal from the BWA Is No Virtue
When the Southern Baptist Convention began the process of defunding the Baptist World Alliance and bore false witness against it, some Southern Baptists, who claimed to support the BWA, were publicly silent. They dared...
Integrating Churches Easier Said Than Done
One reason 11 a.m. Sunday remains the most segregated hour in America is because many church members want it that way, according to a recent article by CNN. The Aug. 4 article quoted religious scholars and members of...
Bob and Larry bypass Georgia and Carolinas
Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and friends are hitting the road. VeggieTales has announced a 50-city tour of the entertaining and inspirational characters.Beginning Sept. 4 in Austin, Texas, the new 80-minute stage...
Christ the Living Water
Many younger emerging Baptist leaders around the world long to attend an international conference and often hear of their leaders traveling to places they can only dream about. These younger leaders are usually not...
Jesus’ Life Offers a Model of Contentment
We live in a restless and discontented world. Each day we are confronted with problems and circumstances that test our peace and contentment. We worry about financial problems, health problems and family problems. We...
NCAA Refuses to Ban Beer Advertising for Sports Broadcasts
The NCAA Executive Committee declined to ban alcohol advertising for sporting events, ignoring letters signed by coaches, presidents and athletics directors who said advertising beer is inconsistent with the NCAA's...
Absurdity gone amuck
The John McCain campaign must be feeling absolutely desperate, because his organization has started resorting to absolute absurdity in its attempts to frighten voters away from Barack Obama.A series of recent...
Baptist Leader Decries Georgia-Russia Conflict
A Baptist leader in the eastern European state of Georgia says last week's invasion by Russia is the most serious threat to the former Soviet republic in recent history. "The fate of Georgia rests upon the shoulders of...
Is John Edwards’ Affair a Warning to the Religious Left?
Former presidential candidate John Edward's extramarital affair with a younger woman paid to produce videos of Edwards is a headshaking disappointment. It shouldn't have been. Remember what happened in June 2007, the...
Real National Happiness
While living abroad for the past 14 years, international friends have sometimes fussed at me about America's seeming indifference to issues affecting the rest of the world. To them, Americans are too smug, especially...
Loyalty to a losing team
Smoltz is hurt; Skip is dead; and the Atlanta Braves are essentially out of contention early. Trading Mark Teixeira was the baseball equivalent to raising the white flag of surrender.A team that looked promising coming...
Egg-zactly so
I enjoy travel, and my favorite souvenirs are generally photographs I've taken and stored on my MacBook. When I do bring something home, it's more likely to be an everyday item common to the country, or some sort of...
Back to School
As summer slowly grinds to a steamy close, children and young people around the country are gearing up to go back to school. For most of them that means public school. Public schools have been the mainstay for...
What’s the Buzz? Seminary President Discusses Sin, Death and Mosquitoes
There may have been mosquitoes in the Garden of Eden, says a Southern Baptist seminary president, but they didn't become a pest until after Adam and Eve committed Original Sin. On "Ask Anything Wednesday" of his daily...
How Churches Might Face the Coming Crises
An earlier column talked about several converging crises--energy, economy and environment. Since then the price of gas has gone down! Proof that I was wrong. Not! As a nation we are so shell-shocked by the energy...
Tag-team interims
This Sunday will be my last as co-interim pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Macon, Ga. The good "Z-people" are hosting a luncheon for Jack Colwell and me and our families.Church leadership came up with this unique...
Congressional Candidate Featured in ‘Golden Rule Politics’ Wins Primary
A moderate Baptist pastor's wife who appears in a Baptist Center for Ethics DVD about faith and politics won Tuesday's Democratic primary for a seat in Congress. Two-term Missouri State Representative Judy Baker now...
8/8/08 Olympic Opening Date No Accident
As many Americans leave for work Friday morning, the sun will be setting on the first full day of the Beijing Olympics.The date China chose for their first time to host the Olympics is 8/8/08. All those eights make it...