Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Schiavo Judge Receives Honor
The Florida judge who presided over the Terri Schiavo case received a special award from a local legal association Thursday, prompting more controversy in a legal battle that brought him national attention and...
The Weird Things People Believe
I never cease to be amazed by the weird things people are willing to believe. For some time now I have kept two Web sites handy--Symantec.com and Snopes.com—just for the occasional reality check. For instance, we all...
‘Kingdom of Heaven’
A modern master of the historical drama has returned, this time to play with Christians and Muslims. Just what we need. Seriously. Sir Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven," which opens nationwide today, tells the story...
New Film Draws Attention to Crusades
Some 800 years after the fact, the Crusades—the historical setting for the new movie "Kingdom of Heaven"--remain a sore spot in interfaith relations. In his 2002 book, When Religion Becomes Evil, Charles Kimball noted...
Americans United Hopes to Export Interfaith Day of Prayer Service
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State said Wednesday it plans to use an interfaith service in Oklahoma as a model for alternatives to the National Day of Prayer, which the group says "has been held...
Oklahoma City Church Denies Meeting Space to Interfaith Group
First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City has withdrawn permission for an interfaith group to meet on the church site, citing differing views over the separation of church and state. Two days before an interfaith prayer...
‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’
Growing up "born again," you heard sermons on all kinds of subjects—like "no dancing," because you can't witness on the dance floor. Or "no movies on Sunday," because the Rapture could happen and you didn't want Jesus...
SBC ‘Conservative Resurgence’ Failed in Evangelism, Prof Says
The "conservative resurgence" in the Southern Baptist Convention failed in its goal of making the denomination more evangelistic, a professor at an SBC seminary says in an article in an upcoming journal. "An honest...
‘Duma’
In the tradition of "The Black Stallion" and "Fly Away Home" comes "Duma," a modern-day tale of a boy who journeys across Africa to return his pet cheetah to the wild. Carroll Ballard, director of above films, has...
Pat Robertson Says ‘Activist’ Courts Pose Greater Threat than Terrorism
Televangelist Pat Robertson on Sunday defended comments in his latest book that an "out-of-control" judiciary is the most serious threat to face American democracy in nearly 400 years of history. Interviewed May 1 on...
What I Learned from a Month in the Hospital
When my wife told me that I had spent a month in the hospital for treatment for acute leukemia, I was stunned. The time lapse had never computed. I had lost track of time, even though the hospital staff wrote every day...
Gay-Rights Group Protests at Focus on the Family
Police in Colorado Springs, Colo., arrested two parents and their adult son for trespassing as they tried to enter Focus on the Family's international headquarters to deliver a letter written to Christian author and...
‘Missionary Positions’
Mike Foster, a young California pastor, was taking a shower one day when he got a word from the Lord. That word was … porn. When Foster shared that with his friend Craig Gross—another young California pastor—Gross...
CBF Missions Coordinator Resigns
Ten weeks after her election as Global Missions coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Barbara Baldridge announced her resignation on Friday. Baldridge, elected to the post Feb. 17 by the CBF Coordinating...
Religious Figures Maintain Web Sites
What's in a name? For many contemporary religious figures, it's a Web site. Some people of faith have monikers so popular they've merited their own URLs—or "uniform resource locators," which is the technical term for a...
Princeton Student Group Promotes Chastity
A new sexual revolution has hit the Ivy League, with formation of a student group promoting chastity and abstinence outside of marriage at traditionally liberal Princeton University. The Anscombe Society exists to...
Frist is Going for the Jugular
I don't put political signs in my yard. For one reason, I live in a borrowed yard, a yard owned by the church members whom I serve. Some might mistake my views as those endorsed by the church. But it's much deeper than...
‘The Interpreter’
Africa is a land of intrigue, partly because it has been victimized by colonialism. Once the European powers released their grip on the continent, many of Africa's countries were taken over by dictators who continued...
Religion Takes Center Stage in Virginia Governor’s Race
Taking a cue from last November, when religious voters were viewed as a key to President Bush winning a second term, candidates of both parties are reaching out to social conservatives in Virginia's 2005 gubernatorial...
Welcome Home, Jane
Though she respects it, she says she was not attracted to Buddhism. Same for Islam and Judaism. "I'm attracted to Jesus," she says. She'd never before lived in an environment where people attended church or "had a...
Famous Movie Producer Wants Hollywood to Deal With Violence Problem
A legendary British producer says movies and television are partially responsible for the increasing problem of aggression in youngsters, according to news sources. David Puttnam, the Oscar-winning producer of...