Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Surviving the Pressure Points of Marriage
According to Genesis, a marriage is the coming together of a man and a woman in a "one flesh" relationship. "A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh" (Gen 2:24)....
Louisiana College President Resigns Amid Concerns Over Academic Freedom
Louisiana College's president announced Monday he is stepping down, heightening tensions at a Baptist school already marred by a controversy over academic freedom. Alumni and friends moved ahead with plans for a vigil...
Many Christians Still Don’t ‘Get’ Environmentalism
I still haven't forgotten a casual remark made by a Baptist pastor friend of mine about 10 years ago. He wanted to communicate to me how "environmental" issues can get out of hand, how "enviros" can go overboard. The...
The Separation of Church and Jesus
Several years ago a friend of mine was working as a youth minister for a church that was exuberantly evangelistic. The pastor spoke eloquently and often about "winning the world for Christ." Unfortunately, the...
Missouri Baptist Leaders Vow to Continue Legal Battle
Missouri Baptist Convention representatives said Friday afternoon they would continue a legal battle against five convention entities named in a lawsuit thrown out of court on a technicality. A judge ruled Thursday...
Temptation and Pride Knock on Every Door
Martha Stewart can't use ignorance as an excuse like the woman from Atlanta is doing after trying to pass a $1 million bill at a Wal-Mart. After offering a Wal-Mart card that had only a couple of dollars left to spend,...
In Celebration of Risk-Takers
Before Captain D. Michael Abrashoff took command in 1997, the USS Benfold seemed to be a sinking ship, plagued by low morale, poor performance and outdated policies. In less than two years under his leadership, it...
Judge Dismisses Missouri Baptist Lawsuit (updated)
A judge on Thursday dismissed cases against five Missouri Baptist Convention agencies sued two years ago for moving to self-perpetuating boards of trustees. Judge Thomas Brown of Missouri's 19th Judicial Circuit Court...
Missouri Baptist Leaders Vow to Continue Legal Battle
Missouri Baptist Convention representatives said Friday afternoon they would continue a legal battle against five convention entities named in a lawsuit thrown out of court on a technicality. A judge ruled Thursday...
Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation
After Steven Spielberg completed "Schindler's List," about entrepreneur Oskar Schindler's saving of more than 1,000 Jews during World War II, he established the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. The...
Baptist Press Director Objects to ‘Fundamentalist’ Label
The director of Baptist Press refused to defend his e-mail criticizing a column on the Southern Baptist Convention's proposed pullout of the Baptist World Alliance, saying it was not intended for public consumption....
The Seductive Power of the Super Church
Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," with its dramatic portrayal of Jesus' death and suffering, has dominated the box office for weeks. But it isn't the only religious art making the rounds. The world of...
BWA Executive Committee Affirms Organization Despite SBC Concerns
Baptist World Alliance leaders continued to hold out hope for a last-minute breakthrough in the global network's impasse with the Southern Baptist Convention, yet affirmed the BWA and its leadership despite charges of...
‘Starsky & Hutch’
If you were a male who grew up in the late 1970s, you probably wanted to drive either a red Grand Torino or an orange Dodge Charger. Hollywood has yet to make a movie version of "The Dukes of Hazzard," so those who...
Waiting for Castro to Die
A common joke among Cubans in Miami revolves around a pair of tortoises which were given to Fidel Castro for his 75th birthday. El jefe inquires as to the life expectancy of tortoises. An aid informs Castro that they...
Does God Belong in the Constitution?
Article 8 of the new Iraqi constitution reads: "Islam is the official religion of the State and is to be considered a source of legislation. No law that contradicts the universally agreed tenets of Islam…may be...
Missouri Association Declines to Censure Church With Ordained Woman
The executive council of a Baptist association in Jefferson City, Mo., has voted to take no action against a church for ordaining a woman minister. Doyle Sager, pastor of First Baptist Church of Jefferson City, hailed...
The Kind of Love that Changes People
In his book, The Lord is My Shepherd, Harold Kushner tells about Martin Buber, a German philosophy professor of the early 20th century. One day a young student came to see him, deeply concerned about a draft notice he...
Racism’s Less-Visible Violence
At the request of a Baptist campus minister at a major medical school in Alabama, I invited the pastor of an African-American church to discuss the issue of violence. The minister cited a litany of examples. He told of...
Lost Like Gollum
SANE Australia, a national organization for the mentally ill, paid special attention to media comments about Gollum in The Return of the King back in December. The group included references to Gollum in its "Stigma...
Landmark Confessions
It's an election year and faith and religion is a hot topic, both for the candidates and for the voters. That is great! As a First Amendment-loving Baptist, the more we can dialogue about faith and politics, the better...