Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Americans Giving Up Vacation Days, Report Says
Americans continue to experience "vacation deprivation," failing to use earned vacation days because they feel they are too busy to miss work, according to an annual survey commissioned by the online travel agency...
Let’s Get Our Script On: An Interview With Michael Urban
As a resolution comes before the Southern Baptist Convention mid-June calling for parents to pull children from public schools, the topic of Christian education slips again into public dialogues. Religion in school,...
Bush Campaign E-mail Crosses Line, Church-State Group Says
A leaked e-mail seeking to enlist "friendly" churches for the Bush campaign is being criticized as an improper violation of the separation of church and state. The Interfaith Alliance made public an intercepted e-mail...
Letting Go
When Lisa Heller was a student at Syracuse University, she lost a ring her grandmother had given her. As a last resort, she decided to search the trash dumpster for it. She didn't find the ring, but what she did find...
Guidelines for Theater Ads Draw Criticism
A trade group for cinema advertisers is drawing criticism for the types of ads it says are suitable to run before movies. The Cinema Advertising Council, which helps standardize practices for its burgeoning business,...
Roy Moore’s Ally Defeats Supreme Court Justice in Republican Primary
The religious right won the most visible battle for the soul of the Alabama Republican Party yesterday in the state's primary election. Tom Parker, former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore's former legal adviser,...
‘Super Size Me’
Cinema, at its best, helps us see the world anew. The commonplace becomes compelling, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Few films accomplish this feat, but the ones that do stick with you like …. well, like a Big...
Baptist Paper Calls for Debate on Proposed Exodus From Public Schools
A Baptist state newspaper editorial says the Southern Baptist Convention should be allowed to debate a resolution calling for parents to remove their children from government-run schools to send a message that Southern...
At War With Women
Always blame women when things go badly. That's the first rule of thumb for Southern Baptist fundamentalists. Who caused the horrendous sex abuse scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison? The implicit answer is women in the...
Three Degrees of Separation
In 1893 a preacher came to town and stirred up folks against liquor. In his wake they prohibited church people from drinking, of course, and also from selling any form of alcohol. They went further, refusing membership...
Dealing With the Realities of Life
The thought of digging a hole waist deep, binding a woman's arms, covering her head with a black scarf and standing her in the pit for a mob of frenzied men to stone her until dead is beyond my comprehension for sane...
Baptists Aid Flood Victims in Dominican Republic and Haiti
Baptists in the Dominican Republic are taking part in relief efforts following recent floods and landslides in their country and neighboring Haiti. Thousands of people along the Haitian-Dominican border lack drinking...
Baptists Aid Flood Victims in Dominican Republic and Haiti
Baptists in the Dominican Republic are taking part in relief efforts following recent floods and landslides in their country and neighboring Haiti. Thousands of people along the Haitian-Dominican border lack drinking...
‘Shrek 2’
"The Simpsons" offers a Halloween episode each year. In one of these episodes, Homer gets a magic hammock that allows him to clone himself. The only problem is that each clone is dumber than the already mentally...
Groups Staging Memorial Day Protests
Most people associate Memorial Day with parades, cookouts, opening of community pools, laying wreaths and weekend travel. For some, however, it is a day for protest. Memorial Day weekend in Palo Alto, Calif., began...
Baptists Aid Flood Victims in Dominican Republic and Haiti
Baptists in the Dominican Republic are taking part in relief efforts following recent floods and landslides in their country and neighboring Haiti. Thousands of people along the Haitian-Dominican border lack drinking...
A Mystery, A Miracle, A Choice
Some people approach the subject with humor, like comedian Dennis Miller. "After seven years of marriage," he said, "I'm sure of two things—first, never wallpaper together, and second, you'll need two bathrooms, both...
Southern Baptist Mega-Church Pastor to Address BWA
The pastor of the largest Southern Baptist church is breaking ranks with his denomination by accepting an invitation to speak at next year's Baptist World Congress. Rick Warren, pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake...
Will New Movie Be ‘Saved!’ by Dialogue?
Films about faith usually kick up dust. Just look at "The Passion of the Christ." And look a bit further to "Saved!" which opens today. "Saved!" tells the story of a group of teenagers at American Eagle Christian High...
The Purpose of the Ten Commandments
Religion News Service reports below that former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore intends to appeal his case over posting the Ten Commandments to the U.S. Supreme Court. Last month, Judge Moore lost an earlier appeal to...
Web Site Calls for Christians to Secede From U.S. (Updated)
Amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage apparently isn't enough for one group of conservative Christians. They want to secede from the union and form a sovereign state governed by religious principles. "Our...