Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Joining the Dance
When congregations dream about what might happen if their feet began to move to the lively, hypnotic rhythm of God's Spirit, they often find themselves standing against the wall of the ballroom, unsure of the place of...
Soul Migration
We usually hear them before we see them, their distinct honking overhead encouraging the others in their perfect V-formation to stay the course. Their flight schedules and patterns change little from year to year,...
Being in the Right Is Not Always Popular
Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor has the toughest job in America, says Jim Evans. It was a dangerous job to say the least. The snake handler never knew from one call to the next whether he was facing a rattler or a...
Standard Prayer Lines Transmit Folk Theology
At New Providence Missionary Baptist Church's recent revival, Bro. Charles Prude entreated God "to prop us up on our leaning-over side." This was a strong image for me. It spoke of God taking our battered and...
Martha Wilson: A Disloyal Prophetess
Baptist history is filled with many fascinating but little-known stories. The name of Martha Stainback Wilson (1834-1919) is most likely unknown except to the most dedicated readers of the history of "women's work" in...
Numbering, Classifying China’s Churches Complicated
The China Christian Council is an organization of China's Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which exists to unite Protestant Christians who are loyal to their government and uphold its constitution. The CCC/TSPM says...
Faith And The End Of The World
The blockbuster sci-fi thriller The Matrix reached its conclusion last week with the release of Matrix Revolutions, the third and final installment in the series. The films have generated considerable interest, not...
Conservative Candidate Wins North Carolina Presidency
Conservatives won the presidency of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Tuesday morning, tightening their grip on leadership and raising questions about whether moderates will split from or pull back in...
China’s Religious Freedom Picture in Eye of Beholder
Christians observing this week's International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church find a description on the sponsor's Web site describing China as being in "a state of intense spiritual struggle." "Hundreds of...
Will Etch A Sketch Draw Profits From ‘Elf’?
Remember the drawing toy Etch A Sketch? Chances are you'll be seeing more of it thanks to New Line Cinema's newly released "Elf." In the PG-rated Christmas film starring Will Ferrell, the classic toy is seen being...
Relying on Statistics Can Lead to Wrong Conclusions
A recent health-related episode sent me scurrying to my files for the account of a friend who nearly starved to death in one of the nation's leading hospitals, because his diagnosis was based primarily on statistics....
Physician/Clergy Dialogue–For Patients’ Sake
Clergy historically were known as "Doctors of the Church." Physicians more recently have been called by numerous cultural critics the new "high priests" of our society. Both professions attend to a community cohort...
‘The Matrix Revolutions’
It started with a bang and ends with a whimper. "The Matrix" presented a universe wherein what we saw and inhabited was not real. Reality was unknown, but there was a man, Neo, with the ability to bring salvation to...
Will the Historical Jesus Please Stand Up?
What do we really know about Jesus? There is a great deal of attention focused on this question. This month when the American Academy of Religion convenes in Atlanta for their annual meeting this topic will dominate...
Shows About Sex Aren’t Prime-Time Shoo-Ins
New sex-themed shows have been cancelled by the networks after receiving consistently low ratings. It was splitsville for NBC's "Coupling" after just four episodes aired, according to E! Online. The show, about six...
National Council of Churches Endorses Boycotts of Taco Bell, Mt. Olive Pickle
JACKSON, Miss. (NCC) The National Council of Churches General Assembly on Thursday endorsed consumer boycotts of Taco Bell and Mt. Olive Pickle products, both effective immediately, to put pressure for improvement of...
‘Elf’
If you're looking to get in the holiday spirit, check out "Elf." This PG movie, which opens nationwide today, hearkens back to classic Christmas films and manages to capture some of that magic. Former "Saturday Night...
Women And Slaves
Boundary markers are important to fundamentalists, because they need enemies to energize their cause. In the so-called "conservative resurgence" currently seeking to divide Baptist loyalties, the initial "line in the...
Willing to Become Vulnerable
At age 13, Bethany Hamilton was a rising star in the world of competitive surfing. The winner of top events who often beat out older competitors, she was well on her way to becoming a professional, already having...
How to Preach Ethics
It's not easy to preach ethics. It's especially difficult for many Baptists, because our high view of scriptural authority tends to make us look for simple answers--whether the issues are simple or not. To preach...
Generations of Faith: A Congregational Atlas
Pastors, staff and lay leaders must possess some sense of the terrain over which they lead a congregation. The Alban Institute's Generation of Faith provides a "congregational atlas" to assist a church's leadership in...