Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Anti-Gay American Baptists Propose Withholding of Funds
A group of American Baptists in West Virginia is urging churches to withhold funding for the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. until the denomination removes churches that affirm homosexual clergy and laity. The...
The Whole Truth
Recent experiences as a civil court juror could provide column fodder for months, maybe even years. Today's subject is honesty. The plaintiff in the case on which I served claimed debilitating injuries as a result of...
Carter Credits Redford With Winning Presidency
Former President Jimmy Carter said actor Robert Redford's advice on appearing before cameras helped him secure the presidency in 1976. "I was probably president because of Bob Redford," Carter told an audience in...
Former SBC President Says Bush ‘God’s Man for This Hour’
Does George W. Bush believe, as has been reported, that God wanted him to be president? If so, could it be in part because a Baptist preacher told him so? The Dallas Morning News reported Atlanta pastor James Merritt's...
Jerry Falwell at Southwestern
Jerry Falwell spoke recently in the morning chapel service at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper and a staff member of my church who attended the chapel...
Chosen: Part Three
Chosen ends its three-issue run without delivering on the promise made by creator Mark Millar. In promoting this series, Millar said: "The story of Jesus Christ in the New Testament is over 2000 years old and so I just...
North Carolina CBF Leader Hopes Group Will Rally Moderates
The newly elected leader of North Carolina Cooperative Baptist Fellowship hopes to make the chapter a more viable alternative for moderates torn between denominational politics and cooperation. North Carolina moderates...
Baptist Children Killed in Russian School Massacre
Baptist families are among the thousands grieving in Beslan, Russia, site of last week's school massacre. According to news reports, many people in Russia had never heard of the peaceful industrial city in south Russia...
‘Collateral’
Most matinee idols play the "good guy." They wear the white hat, end up with the girl and ride off into the sunset. But if you ask a matinee idol what role he wants to play, he'll say, "The bad guy." Tom Cruise is a...
Choosing Christian School Not Enough, Says Author of Failed SBC Public School Exodus
A man who this summer called for a mass exodus of Southern Baptists from public schools now says sending children to a Christian school might not be enough. Parents must also distinguish between schools that are...
Janmashtami: Hindu Celebration of the Appearance of Lord Krishna
The birthday of Krishna is celebrated by Hindus with a joyous festival filled with worship (puja) in homes and temples, storytelling of Krishna's antics and adventures as a youth, and a sportive ritual of breaking pots...
Former Moderator to Lead North Carolina CBF
A 42-year-old pastor and immediate past moderator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina has been named to lead the second-largest state or regional chapter of the national organization of moderate...
‘The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara’
This review is long overdue. Errol Morris' documentary "The Fog of War" is not only a brilliant piece of filmmaking; it's also a frank discussion about the ethical and moral landscape of the 20th century as it...
Group Criticizes BWA for Article on China
A group monitoring abuses of religious freedom criticized the Baptist World Alliance for an article celebrating the growth of Christian churches in China. "The church in China has gone through persecution, suffering...
Beyond the Prohibition
"We were always so hungry and resorted to eating grass in spring," recalled Kim, who served four years in a North Korean labor camp on treason charges. "When someone died, fellow prisoners delayed reporting his death...
‘Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith’
A lot of people are talking about movies and spirituality these days, but few are able to create a resource with the clarity and insight of Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith, by Catherine M. Barsotti...
A Faithful Response to the Problem of Poverty
According to a Census Bureau report released last week, nearly 36 million Americans now live in poverty. This figure represents over a 12 percent increase from 2003. In fact, the poverty rate has been growing at a rate...
Gay-Marriage Opponent ‘Outed’ by Gay Web Site
A Baptist congressman and co-sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment banning homosexual marriage has withdrawn from his re-election campaign after allegations that he used a telephone dating service to arrange...
Gamers Detract From TV Audience
The Digital Gaming in America annual survey found that not only has video gaming finally outpaced PC gaming, but that gaming in general continues to threaten television's dominance as the media of choice. Over...
Clinton’s Sermon Abuse of Pulpit, AU Says
Former President Bill Clinton's politically laden message Aug. 29 at a New York church "misused the pulpit to advance a personal agenda," says a church-state watchdog group that recently blew the whistle on...
Chicken Hawk Affirmative Action
For the past two weeks, John Kerry has been hounded by an attack on his Vietnam record by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. And even though he still carries shrapnel in his body, he has been portrayed as a...