Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
More Aid Needed in Myanmar, Baptist Leader Says
Conditions in Myanmar remain desperate two months after Cyclone Nargis, according to the relief-and-development arm of the Baptist World Alliance.Rescue24, a search, rescue and relief effort by Baptist World Aid,...
Tale-telling Tony
My blogging partner, colleague and friend, Tony Cartledge, got some good ink in the Raleigh News & Observer yesterday. The article by religion writer Yonat Shimron focused primarily on Tony's new book, Telling Stories:...
The Future of Faith-Based Initiatives
It is probably too early to speculate how history will rate George W. Bush's tenure as president. There will obviously be many words written about Sept. 11, the war in Iraq, tax cuts for the rich, the polarization of...
Show Me a Sexist; I’ll Show You a Racist
Ah! The good old days--when men were men and women were kept in the kitchen; when being white was right for America. Ah! The good old days--when men were men and women were kept in the kitchen; when being white was...
Common Cause Launches Campaign to ‘Recapture the Flag’
Common Cause has launched a campaign called "Recapture the Flag," protesting abuses of power by the White House and failure by Congress to oversee the Executive Branch. Unveiled in a full-page ad in The New York Times,...
Belly billboards
There is an old saying that "Opinions are like belly buttons; everybody has one." But it also appears that many people want to express those opinions on their bellies and chests.While my daughters enjoyed a day of...
‘WALL-E’
A friend in ministry once remarked that when you are discouraged, you have to do the last thing God told you to do. You keep doing that thing until someone comes and tells you differently. WALL-E does this. He's the...
Jesse Helms and Eternal Peace
Admittedly, I was never a fan of Jesse Helms, the conservative (an understatement) longtime Senator from North Carolina that just recently died on July 4. His funeral was Tuesday at Hayes Barton Baptist Church in...
Critics Say G8 Climate Statement Doesn’t Go Far Enough
President Bush hailed Tuesday's climate change statement by G8 leaders as "significant progress" on global warming, while environmental and humanitarian groups criticized it as too little and too late. A broad...
Accessory to piracy
I have unwittingly contributed to the massive problem of DVD piracy.I didn't mean to, but I did. When Father's Day rolled around, Jan asked if I had any hints for a potential gift from Samuel. Being well-stocked with...
The Bible Cannot Answer Scientific Questions
For over a century debates have raged over the ability of the Bible to tell us about the world, particularly how the natural world, and beings that inhabit this world, came into existence. These debates have only...
Texas Church Says ‘Egalitarian’ View Not an Option for Evangelicals
Allowing women to become pastors and act as elders is a "cancer" that is pushing evangelical churches toward liberalism, a Texas pastor warned in a recent sermon defending "Biblical Manhood & Womanhood." Tom...
What Will We Do about Hunger When Bread Prices Are Linked to Oil Prices?
Two statements about global hunger appeared a month apart. The latter statement will test the depth of commitment of the former. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship declared last month its commitment to the Micah...
Not everything is funny
After an enjoyable visit to scenic Cades Cove in the Great Smokey Mountains last week, we were ready for lunch. The short drive into Townsend, Tenn., led us to a local diner along the river.The "family restaurant" was...
My ‘Take’ on Jesus
Not too long ago, a friend from another religious tradition asked me to summarize my "take on Jesus." This is the reply I shared. Jesus, ideally, is the center of my life. Traditionally, Christians speak of Jesus as...
Rock of Ages
A decade or so ago David Jeselsohn, an Israeli-Swiss antiquities collector, bought a three-foot tall stone tablet inscribed with 87 lines of Hebrew text. Mr. Jesesohn didn't know exactly what he had, but when he...
Jesse Helms Attended Moderate Baptist Church
Sen. Jesse Helms, an icon of conservative politics who died Friday of natural causes, lay in state at a decidedly moderate Baptist church he attended faithfully for more than 30 years. On Monday people filed in to...
Blackberry cathedral
Sundays take many forms for me. Our church meets on Sunday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. So, when I'm not speaking at another church, Sunday mornings are free for other activities. This past Sunday, while traditional churches...
Patriotism Is Not Enough
Several years ago, while on a family trip to London, we were making our way up from Trafalgar Square to St. Martin's Place. As we headed toward the National Portrait Gallery, I glanced at one of the many statues that...
Modern Chinese Literature Insights
One of the most important aspects of an American education is the study of British and American literature. The language in both countries is considered the same. Those who go on to college might be introduced to a...
Seminary Professor Says Dinosaurs and Humans Lived Together
A Southern Baptist theologian and seminary administrator says dinosaurs and humans must have coexisted before Noah's flood. Guest hosting last week's "Ask Anything Wednesday" installment of "The Albert Mohler Radio...