Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
‘The Upside of Anger’
Yes, Kevin Costner has played in some baseball movies: "Bull Durham," "Field of Dreams," "For Love of the Game." And yes, in "The Upside of Anger" he plays a retired baseball player who finds time between drinks and...
Reclaiming Christianity From the Christian Right
On the train ride back to Yale from Boston in the morning hours of Nov. 3, 2004, my best friend looked at me through eyes tearing with frustration and said, "Your people did this." She turned her head to the aisle and...
‘Multi-Tasking’ Changing Kids’ Use of Media
Children and teenagers are "multi-tasking," using new media like computers, the Internet and video games without cutting back on old media like television, to pack in an equivalent of eight and a half hours a day of...
Religious Groups Hail Ruling Against Death Penalty for Juveniles
Opponents of capital punishment hailed last week's Supreme Court decision that the execution of juveniles convicted of murder violates the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual...
Taco Bell Boycott Ends
Taco Bell has agreed to pay an additional 1 cent per pound for tomatoes, prompting a group of Florida farm workers to end a consumer boycott of the fast-food chain. Several religious organizations, including the...
Actor Costner Still in Love With Movies
Kevin Costner has always loved the movies. Born in California in 1955, Costner grew up learning some of life's lessons from the silver screen. "Movies affected me a great deal," Costner said recently while promoting...
From Relief to Relive
"From Relief to Relive"--that was the slogan in the Chennai, India, offices of Baptist World Aid partner, the Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA). Two months after the devastating Dec. 26 tsunamis, the recovery...
Judge in Schiavo Case Disappointed by Religious Critics
The judge at the center of a Florida right-to-die dispute is a Southern Baptist and conservative Republican, whose vilification by pro-life groups has affected his relationship with his church, according to a newspaper...
Meeting a Moral Issue: An Interview With Len Morris
Filmmaker Len Morris finds it shameful that a documentary on child labor is even possible in the 21st century. But it is, and Morris' Galen Films, in conjunction with Romano Productions, spent years documenting a human...
‘Day of Entitlement’ Over for Denominational Entities, Vestal Says
The "day of entitlement" for Baptist organizations is over, and is being replaced by new models of cooperation that foster flexibility, responsiveness and collaboration, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Coordinator...
Adrian Rogers Honored at Retirement
Three-time Southern Baptist Convention president Adrian Rogers retired after 32 years as senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in suburban Memphis last weekend. Several current and former denominational leaders...
‘Passion Recut’ Hits Theaters This Friday
More than a year after "The Passion of the Christ" bowed in U.S. theaters to controversy and long lines, Mel Gibson's version of Jesus Christ's crucifixion will debut theatrically again—this time lacking its more...
Does Rick Warren Read a Small Bible?
Rick Warren tacitly endorsed George Bush six days before the 2004 presidential election, claiming that the Bible was on his side and that the two major candidates could not "have more opposite views." "For those of us...
Soldier Says Officer Wants to Deny Him Conscientious Objector Status
An Army sergeant who refused to return to Iraq saying he now opposes the war said Wednesday that an investigating officer is recommending that the military deny his bid to be classified as a conscientious objector....
Rethinking Agricultural Policy, Again
This week began with the annual "Cattleman's Association" banquet. About 200 attended from the farms and ranches of Pickens County, Alabama. Roast beef, of course, was served. As the leader of the other association in...
Religious Leaders React to Supreme Court Hearing on Ten Commandments
After hearing arguments in two cases on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule in June on two cases that could be landmark decisions on whether government can display the Ten Commandments on public...
Dobson Fights Back Over SpongeBob Quote
Focus on the Family chairman James Dobson is waging a media campaign to counter what he claims are inaccurate reports that he said SpongeBob SquarePants is gay. "It is not unusual for me to be unfairly criticized by...
End-Times Views Aren’t Behind Environmental Policies
Are irrational and dangerous end-of-the-world views of conservative Christians—"the earth is going to be burned up anyway, so why care for it"—behind the environmental policies of our Republican-controlled federal...
Soldier Charged for Refusing Service in Iraq
An Army sergeant who is seeking military discharge as a conscientious objector will face a general court martial for refusing to join his unit when it deployed to Iraq in January. Sgt. Kevin Benderman is charged with...
Baptists Claim Prayer Helped Capture BTK Suspect
Southern Baptists in Wichita, Kan., are claiming credit in the arrest of an alleged serial killer, saying a January prayer meeting helped capture the BTK killer. Dennis Rader, an active Lutheran and Cub Scout leader...
Walden Media Carves Film-Lit Niche
Several popular children's books have recently been adapted for the big screen—"Holes," "I Am David" and now "Because of Winn-Dixie"—and these faithful adaptations have the same driving force behind them: Walden Media....