Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Forgiveness Is Hard Work
"Forgive and forget," the old saying goes. It is not possible. Things that urgently plead for forgiveness are the same things that cannot be forgotten. The need for forgiveness announces that something happened that...
Christmas Came After All
If you want a song that'll put you in a melancholy mood, listen to Mavis Staples sing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" on the album Johnny Cash released just before he died. Mavis Staples sang that song years ago at the...
Justice Redefined
"Justice is your right, and we demand it!" barks an attorney in a television commercial for a local law firm. He goes on to recount stories of his clients whose lives have been forever changed as a result of the...
Wal-Mart: Always Low Wages?
On Dec. 20, 2002, a federal jury in Portland, Ore., found Wal-Mart guilty of forcing its employees to work unpaid overtime. These employees were pressured to clock out after working 40 hours, but continued working in...
Video Game ‘Report Card’ Gets Fs
The grades are in for how the video game industry maintains child welfare while turning a profit, and if parents pay attention to the report card, they won't be happy. The National Institute on Media and the Family...
BWA Human Rights Sunday
Many years ago the Baptist World Alliance Commission on Freedom and Justice proposed that Baptists celebrate the second Sunday in Advent as Human Rights Sunday. It is proper that during the Christmas season we pray for...
On-line Petition Asks SBC to Withdraw ‘Rickshaw Rally’ VBS Materials
An online petition is gathering signatures asking LifeWay Christian Resources to stop distributing its "Rickshaw Rally" Vacation Bible School curriculum. The Rev. Soong-Chan Rah, senior pastor of Cambridge Community...
Ethicist, LifeWay President Debate ‘Rickshaw Rally’ Theme
Churches in the Southern Baptist Convention should consider avoiding the Asian-themed "Rickshaw Rally" VBS material produced this year by the SBC's publishing house, says a consultant for the denomination's moral...
SBC Officials Disagree about Women Deacons
Did women in the early church serve as deacons? If so, most Baptists would agree, they should be allowed to do so today. The Southern Baptist Convention's upcoming January Bible Study says no, at least in its...
‘The Last Samurai’
The writer of Ecclesiastes was right. There is nothing new under the sun. Tom Cruise has made a career out of playing, basically, the same person over and over again. His characters are generally men with hints of...
Addressing Rural Poverty
At this time of the year many Americans, motivated by the spirit of Christmas, want to "reach out" to the poor. So, it seems appropriate to identify who our poor are by summarizing some of the data from the 2000...
‘Last Meals’ Provoke Reflection
The Web site www.deadmaneating.com is revolting for the disrespectful way it deals with its subject, but the subject itself merits some thought. The Web address is a morbid play on words: Instead of the familiar "Dead...
‘Tis the Season
The journey from Advent to Christmas is one of my favorite seasons of the year. For centuries, Christians have engaged this season with both contemplation and celebration. The deeper I venture into this journey, the...
Women Don’t Qualify as Deacons, SBC Bible Study Says
The Bible not only prohibits women from being pastors but from serving as deacons as well, suggest teaching materials for the Southern Baptist Convention's upcoming January Bible Study. The study of the New Testament...
Preaching in a Political Year
From here on to next November, the temptation grows--the temptation to use your pulpit to help the party of your choice get elected. That's nothing new, of course. These days the politicization of American religion is...
King Center to Honor Bono for Humanitarian Work
U2's lead singer, Bono, will receive the King Center's "Salute to Greatness" Award in January. The Atlanta-based King Center gives the award to "individuals and progressive corporations that exemplify excellence in...
Pieces of Our Past
Among my most prized possessions are a couple of very old quilts. They are not just any old quilts discovered in a dust-covered box in the corner of an attic. They were made by my two grandmothers, especially for me....
‘Rickshaw Rally’ Rolls Into State Conventions
Baptist state conventions contacted by Ethics Daily.com indicated they plan to move forward with training churches to teach LifeWay Christian Resources' "Rickshaw Rally" vacation Bible school curriculum, despite...
Canada’s Marriage Debate Dividing Christians
Few issues in recent years in Canadian society have sparked as much general public interest and passionate debate as the potential redefinition of marriage. Judicial decisions in three provinces (Ontario, British...
The Soldier, the Savior, the President and the Professor
Julius Caesar was the powerful, popular ruler of the ancient Roman realm. His all-too-brief reign established the empire that dominated much of the Mediterranean world for a millennium. The assassination of Julius...
Clergy’s Image Recovering Since Scandals, Poll Says
Confidence in the clergy has recovered partially since the Catholic sexual abuse scandals of 2002, but remains below where it stood two years ago, according to an annual Gallup Poll ranking the honesty and ethics of...