Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Sermons Should Call Us to Radical Discipleship
Perhaps it's who I am, but when I sit in church trying to follow the sermon, I am often stunned by the blandness of many Sunday-morning homilies. By using the term blandness, I don't mean the lack of excitement and...
Starfish, Lotteries and Taxes
The Alabama Senate is considering a bill that will, among other things, remove the state portion of tax on food. I'm hopeful the bill will pass and have encouraged others to do what I have done--call their senator to...
A Short History of Memorial Day
As a child I wasn't aware that Memorial Day observances were intended for those felled on the battlefield. I thought of it as a day of family remembrance, honoring relatives gone before us--veterans and non-veterans...
New women’s ministry gets a name
A new women's ministry in North Carolina will be called "Embrace," according to a report in the Biblical Recorder. Leaders of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) moved to create the new women-focused...
Where is God in the Storm?
Somewhere a preacher is preaching. He shakes his fist at the ceiling as he describes the wrath of God. That wrath has come, he tells his attentive congregation, on the crest of a terrible storm. God has shown his power...
Proposed SBC Resolution Calls for Exodus From California Schools
A new resolution proposed for consideration at next month's Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting urges parents in California to withdraw their children from public schools at least until the state repeals a law...
50 Million Printed Bibles Illustrate Strength, Unity in China’s Churches
In announcing the 50 millionth Bible printed by the Amity Printing Company of Nanjing, China, the head of religious affairs announced that Chinese Bibles will be made available at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing....
Passion, obsession or commitment?
Last night, Robert attended his 860th consecutive Atlanta Braves home game. He likes to arrive early, just before the gates open two and a half hours prior to the first pitch.I catch up with him at the shaded spot...
The Devil Is In the Doing of Evil
Reading sacred texts about an all-loving and all-powerful God raises questions and concerns when that image is compared to the realities of life. All have faced, or will face, tragedy, misery and death. Events will...
What Constitutes an Authentic Prophet?
The late Baptist ethics professor Henlee Barnette contended that his friend and mentor Clarence Jordan stood in the tradition of a biblical prophet. In the very first chapter of Clarence Jordan: Turning Dreams into...
Baptist Relief Groups Assessing Needs in Myanmar, China
Myanmar's resistance to working with outsiders is not only delaying the delivery of much-need aid to survivors of a May 2 cyclone, but may be hampering fund raising by charitable organizations awaiting specific...
A salute to hard work(ers)
Even my aches have aches.It was a great relief to finish the academic year at Campbell University Divinity School, with the major downside being all the homework -- as in work on our home -- that awaited me when...
It’s Not Easy Building Green
My husband and I recently built a new house. We had aspirations of being as ecologically responsible as possible, but we were thwarted at almost every step. If our pockets had been deep enough, we might have been able...
Pundits and Politicians Label Opponents as False Prophets
Pundits and politicians are hurling around the term false prophets, making one wonder if the term is the newest way to smear an opponent with a negative religious image. Are all our opponents false prophets? What...
British Baptists Go to Jamaica to Apologize for Slave Trade
A delegation representing British Baptists travels Thursday to Jamaica to personally apologize for their nation's role two centuries ago in transatlantic trading of slaves. The Baptist Union of Great Britain adopted a...
Capturing Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian was the topic of conversation during dinner with my daughters last night. My older daughter had seen the latest Narnia film with some high school friends on Sunday afternoon.Last Friday, I escorted my...
“The Visitor”
A sign on the wall says it all: "Immigrants, America's strength." Of course, it's located inside a detention center where illegal immigrants are held in Thomas McCarthy's new movie, "The Visitor." "The Visitor" focuses...
We Need Unbiased Data About Climate Change
The government is struggling with a huge issue. They are debating the sensibilities of changing the map on the back of seed packets. You remember those seed packets with a map of the United States on the back. The map...
Methodists Oppose Teaching of Creationism, Intelligent Design
The United Methodist Church passed a resolution at its recent General Conference opposing the teaching of Creation Science and Intelligent Design in public schools. The statement, passed during a 10-day conference in...
Acknowledging racism
I was delighted to see a nice spread in the Sunday News & Observer highlighting the work of author/professor/quiet crusader Tim Tyson.I first became aware of Tyson's work when I read his powerful Blood Done Sign My...
Biblical Baby Names Still Popular
Names from the Bible remain popular as American parents consider their options for naming both boys and girls. Jacob was the most popular baby boy name in 2007, according to the Social Security Administration, which...