Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Christian Justification of Torture is Satanic
We all heard of Abu Ghraib, where prisoners were sadistically abused by U.S. military forces. We were told by our government that these abuses were an aberration conducted by a few rogue soldiers who have sullen the...
‘Ten Commandments’ Gets 50th Anniversary DVD Edition
One of the greatest film epics is celebrating 50 years with a three-disc DVD collection issued today. "The Ten Commandments," produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul...
Talk at the Town Square Cafe
The primary topic at the Courthouse Grill in Carrollton, Ala., this past week has been the arrest of three young, urban college students for setting fires in nine rural Baptist churches in the Black Belt. Dancy First...
Columnist Backs Off Criticism of Christian Textbook
A Dallas newspaper columnist apologized for comparing publishers of Christian-school textbooks to people that American soldiers are fighting in Iraq, calling his earlier comment "unnecessarily provocative." Steve Blow,...
The Da Vinci Sermons
Dan Brown is on trial in a London court for "reworking" ideas from another source and presenting it as his own. The fictional material of his wildly popular novel, The Da Vinci Code, is apparently very similar to the...
Happy Anniversary
Number of years since the U.S. invaded Iraq: 3. Number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq: 2,520. Number of those which were non-combat related: 552. Number of United Kingdom soldiers killed in Iraq (the next nation with...
Teaching as Calling
"It's the most important job in the world, bar none, save that of parent," says Ruth O'Quinn of Alexandria, La., who spent her entire career in public education. "Teaching is a calling, and most successful teachers are...
Franklin Graham Reaffirms Anti-Islamic Views
Evangelist Franklin Graham stood by remarks he made in 2001 calling Islam a "very evil and wicked religion" in an interview aired Wednesday night on ABC's "Nightline" program. Graham, heir to the Billy Graham...
On Third Anniversary of Iraq Invasion, Religious Leaders Haven’t Warmed to War
American religious leaders, who once urged President Bush to be cautious about rushing into an invasion of Iraq, are now among leading critics of the war, which marks its third anniversary March 20. The United States...
Christian ‘One-liners’ Have Powerful Message
Last Sunday I visited a neighborhood church--one of those small churches where folks of all ages come together for Bible study and worship; the spiritual backbone of American Christianity and culture. The bulletin for...
Progress in Burned Churches
When word came last week that three college students from the Birmingham area had been arrested in relation to the church arson in our area, a great prayer of thanksgiving was raised. A month earlier four rural...
The Private Lives of America’s Top Managers
Former Enron executive Andrew Fastow's testimony this past week offered a fascinating window into the pressure cooker at the top of a major public company. Sure, greed was a major factor that drove senior executives at...
U.S. Leaders Asked to Repudiate Anti-Muslim Comment
An American Muslim leader called on mainstream religious and political leaders to repudiate remarks by televangelist Pat Robertson, who claimed the goal of Islam is world domination. "The failure by mainstream...
Concerns About the ‘Exodus’ Movement
As a father of two students enrolled in a public school, I have become increasingly alarmed by anti-public school rhetoric. Most of that talk is coming from Christian groups. I would like to share my concerns, but a...
Christian Book Says Public Schools Subvert Parental Rights
Leaders of a campaign to convince Christians to withdraw from public schools hailed a new book published posthumously by a Christian radio pioneer as evidence the movement is gaining strength. Public Education Against...
Robertson Labels Muslims as ‘Satanic’
Televangelist Pat Robertson on Monday termed radical Muslims "satanic" and said the goal of Islam is world domination. The comments, reported by the Associated Press, were made on the live broadcast of Robertson's "700...
‘Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense’
The American Christian scene is an exciting place these days--also a noisy, bullying place. We are charmed or alarmed by high-flying debate about The Da Vinci Code, the politics of the Religious Right, "lost" gnostic...
‘Selling Spirituality: The Silent Takeover of Religion’
Is the widespread talk about spirituality a new expression of the religious spirit to be embraced and applauded? Is the growth of "spiritual" programs and language in the fields of business, education and social work a...
News Coverage in Texas is Good, But is Anyone Reading?
The first time I wrote a letter to a sitting American president was when I lived in Taiwan. I have no idea now what prompted me to write President Johnson. But the reply I got was from his press secretary, Bill Moyers....
Friends Mourn Death of Slain Peace Activist
Friends and colleagues mourned Tom Fox, a 54-year-old peace activist found dead in Iraq on Friday, while his murder raised concerns about the safety of three other Christian Peacemaker Teams members held hostage with...
Evangelicals Split Over ‘A La Carte’ Cable TV
Religious conservatives have been at the forefront of proposals to allow consumers to purchase only cable TV channels they choose, instead of the bundled packages that are offered today, as a way to combat smut. But...