Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Pastor Claims Blacks Shut Out of Red Cross Disaster Response
An African-American pastor who brought aid to a Red Cross shelter in Atlanta says he was rejected because, unlike the Southern Baptist Convention, his church didn't have exclusive rights to serve food. According to the...
An Endangered Species—a Free Press for Baptists
Will Baptists support a free press, a prophetic critique? I'm worried about the answer. I'm worried about the consequences of that answer for a faithful Baptist community. Twenty-five years ago, Southern Baptists had a...
‘Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story’
In 1993, a filly named Mariah's Storm had her bid for a Breeder's Cup smashed when she fractured her cannon bone in a race. Her trainers persevered, however, and the horse's eventual comeback has now inspired a...
Baptist World Aid Still Seeking Funds for Earthquake Relief
A third Baptist World Aid volunteer team left Wednesday to assist earthquake victims in Pakistan, the relief agency reported Friday. The team took $30,000 to establish a camp in Bagh, one of the hardest hit towns in...
How Hollywood Is Selling ‘Narnia’ to Christians
With the Dec. 9 release of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" still more than six weeks away, the companies behind this highly anticipated film adaptation are already making sure it doesn't escape the attention of...
Judge Blocks Georgia Voter-ID Bill
A federal judge on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction blocking Georgia's controversial voter-ID law, saying it amounts to a poll tax and is ineffective in combating voter fraud. The ruling by U.S. District Judge...
West Virginia Baptists Remain Affiliated with American Baptists, For Now
The West Virginia Baptist Convention on Wednesday voted against pulling out of American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. over homosexuality, but also declined to reaffirm ties to the national body. A 65-church coalition...
‘An Unfinished Life’
"An Unfinished Life" is set in the high-country of a remote Wyoming ranch. But it also transports us to the high-country of the soul—an inner place that is stark and lonely, where people hide their hurt behind cowboy...
Georgetown College Loosens Kentucky Baptist Ties
Officials from Georgetown College and the Kentucky Baptist Convention have agreed to a plan to sever ties amicably, allowing the college to govern itself while retaining a Baptist identity. The plan allows the college...
Watch Your Mouth
I used to make smart-aleck remarks when I was younger. Sometimes after making a sarcastic comment my mom would tell me, "Watch your mouth," meaning, "Be careful what you say." Unfortunately, such advice needs to be...
Donor Fatigue Slowing Earthquake, Mudslide Response
Relief agencies say donor fatigue is setting in as contributions for disasters in Asia and Latin America are coming in at rates much slower than relief efforts following last year's tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. After...
Globalization and the Ten Commandments
With widening inequalities and 20 per cent of the world in extreme poverty, it is worth re-examining whether globalization and free-market capitalism are in tune with biblical ethics. Whether the result of ideological...
Columbus Came in Second to the Chinese
Last Monday was Columbus Day. Italians in some cities had parades honoring Christopher Columbus, the sailor credited with discovering the New World. It is not important to note that there was neither a country named...
‘Politics of Polarization’ Hurts Democrats, Study Says
If America is to have a competitive two-party system, Democrats must confront "dominant myths" that keep them from seizing the political center and building a stable majority, two political scientists and former...
Injustice Toward Women a Blight on History
I don't know where it started, but I have a suspicion it began in the Garden of Eden, long before any of us were remotely conceived. What started, you say? The twisted notion that men are better than women. The...
Bush’s FDA Appointment Cause for Concern
The measure of presidents relates to those they appoint to key positions. Many of George W. Bush's appointees have impeccable credentials, superior character and stellar accomplishments. As new Chief Justice, Judge...
Were You In Church Last Sunday?
Pollsters have been asking people about their church attendance for years now. Gallup polls, the Barna group, the Institute for Social Research all reach the same conclusion. About 42 percent of Americans attended...
Texas Clergy Take Sides in Battle Over Gay Marriage
Both sides in an upcoming vote on a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Texas are recruiting clergy to promote their cause. "Texas Baptists have taken a clear stand recognizing that homosexual...
‘Elizabethtown’
Cameron Crowe, filmmaker of "Say Anything," "Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous," is one of the best writer-directors working in Hollywood. That's why "Elizabethtown" is both doubly disappointing and still...
Baptists Racing Clock to Aid Earthquake Victims
Time is running out for people still trapped by last weekend's deadly earthquake in Pakistan, according to initial reports of a Baptist World Alliance rescue team. "I have never seen anything like this, even though I...
Dobson Denies ‘Backroom Deal’ on Miers
Facing threats that the Senate Judiciary Committee might subpoena him, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has disclosed details of a private conversation with presidential adviser Karl Rove. Dobson denied there...