Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Survey Finds Favorite TV Mom
Who's your favorite TV mom? Carol Brady? Elyse Keaton? Florida Evans? A recent survey revealed that Americans' favorite TV mom is none other than Clair Huxtable, according to an Associated Press article. Phylicia...
Following Our Hearts
An audience of street-wise, hard-hearted juveniles charged with serious crimes like murder and armed robbery seems unlikely for a concert of classical cello music. Mark Salzman's reluctance to perform for them at Los...
SBC President Doubts Christian Education Resolution Will Pass
Southern Baptist Convention president Jack Graham says he supports Christian education but doubts Southern Baptists will adopt a resolution urging parents to pull their children out of public schools. Graham, pastor of...
High Tech Worship?
Quentin Schultze, a professor of communication arts and sciences at Calvin College, has written a thoughtful, clear and helpful introduction to the subject of using electronic projections in worship. High Tech Worship?...
Documentary on Bush-Saudi Connection Hits Own Political Snag
Filmmaker Michael Moore is known for projects that are political lightning rods—like 2003 Oscar winner "Bowling for Columbine," which examined gun violence in America. Now it seems that his latest documentary is being...
Baptist Leaders Debate Gay Marriage Statement
The debate over homosexuality and the church is really over whether homosexual persons are made in the image of God, says a pro-gay Baptist responding to criticism by a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention. In a...
Becoming What We Hate
The images from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq this past week were shocking. Photos of Iraqi prisoners being subjected to humiliation and abuse in the presence of smiling American soldiers sent shock waves of anger and...
British Baptists Tackle Controversial Issues in Annual Meeting
The leader of Great Britain's Baptists joined other religious leaders in urging Christians not to vote for the controversial British National Party in upcoming elections. David Coffey, general secretary of the Baptist...
The Bible: Eden
If you have read the Bible, one fact is certain: It is not rated G. Many of its stories deal with very mature subjects. IDW Publishing has printed a new hardbound comic entitled, The Bible: Eden. In its pages, Scott...
Iraq War Spawns Various ‘Urban Legends’
As war in Iraq continues, so do the "urban legends" about American troops, Iraqi soldiers and civilians, and policy decisions. Some of the legends are stories, while others are pictures. Some have been proven true,...
Proposed SBC Resolution Calls for Abandoning Public Schools
The Southern Baptist Convention will consider a resolution next month urging parents to pull their children out of public schools and educate them either by home schooling or sending them to Christian private schools....
A Look Back, A Leap Forward: BCE’s Success Story Minus One
Looking back at the Baptist Center for Ethics' shaky start in 1991 from the high ground of success, I sometimes marvel that we ever made it. On the Friday before we announced BCE's launch, James Sullivan, former...
Movie’s Cloning Web Site Draws Criticism
Some people think a film distribution company has gone too far in an effort to distinguish its product. Lions Gate Films, distributor for the movie "Godsend," which opened Friday, launched a Web site that purported to...
The Power of Public Theology
With similar emotion and energy, we pledge our allegiance to the nation and confess our faith in the one true God. Whether these two loyalties collaborate or collide is a matter of utmost importance and never more so...
Interfaith, Christian Groups Holding Separate Prayer Rallies in Oklahoma
Thursday's National Day of Prayer in Oklahoma will feature competing public prayer services at the state Capitol: one backed by conservative evangelicals and another that is inclusive. National Day of Prayer services...
A Look Back, A Leap Forward: BCE’s Success Story Minus One
Looking back at the Baptist Center for Ethics' shaky start in 1991 from the high ground of success, I sometimes marvel that we ever made it. On the Friday before we announced BCE's launch, James Sullivan, former...
Seeing What Isn’t There
In a recent "Dear Abby" column, a young girl wrote the columnist seeking advice. During a class at school, she had stated that she would one day like to become president of the United States. Her classmates ridiculed...
‘Laws of Attraction’
"Laws of Attraction" is an appealing movie not because its two opposing divorce attorneys are attracted to each other, but because those two divorce attorneys weigh whether to move beyond attraction to commitment. This...
Where the Vultures Gather
Among the joys of this spring has been a trip up the Natchez Trace from Culbert's Ferry in North Alabama to near Nashville, a distance of about 125 miles. The road winds mostly through a forest, generally following the...
The Ten Commandments Movement
Judge Roy Moore may no longer be front page news, but his strange political theology has spawned a movement that seems to be gaining headway every day. With the judge as the frequent headliner, leaders within the...
Are Clergy Professionals
Is a clergyperson a professional? The answer to that depends upon who is talking and the criteria used to decide. Approaching the question from the angle of "standards" yields an affirmative response. Most clergy...