Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
SBC Leaders Declare War on Gay ‘Agenda’
Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention are seeking to mobilize the denomination in a war against what they call "the homosexual agenda." Richard Land, president of the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission,...
American Baptist Missions Faces Shortfall
American Baptists' global missions agency is facing a $3 million budget shortfall next year and could be forced to recall missionaries if finances don't improve, officials say. The International Ministries division of...
Wildfires and Forests
It has been heartbreaking to hear of the 20 deaths and destruction of more than 3,300 homes by the fires that have recently raged in California. This is the largest fire disaster in California's history. What some have...
Getting the Word Out: An Interview With Gary Johnson
What do a New York doctor and a deaf FBI agent have in common? Both are main characters on two PAX TV shows created by brothers Gary and Dave Johnson. Those two shows—"Doc," starring Billy Ray Cyrus as a small-town...
If or When the Wall Comes Down
The struggle to maintain a proper wall of separation between church and state has reached a precarious crossroads. Today we must ask whether to use "if" or "when." It makes a difference. Saying "if the wall comes down"...
Missouri Baptists Consider Borrowing $1 Million for Legal Fund
The Missouri Baptist Convention votes today on whether to borrow up to $1 million for legal fees mounting from its lawsuit against five convention agencies. The convention's executive board is seeking authority to open...
Qualifications for Leadership
Establishing criteria for leadership appears to be a growing trend in many congregations. The obvious theory behind this movement is that leaders should model the behavior expected of others within the organization....
Telling Lies in a Christian White House
The other night, we had an ethical dilemma at my house that led to the following conversation with my 6 year old: DAD: Do you know what a lie is? CHANDLER (ruefully): A lie is when you don't tell the truth. You can bet...
Hungry All Year Long
Do you ever see or read such a tear-jerking news story that you couldn't wait to respond? Our hearts are torn by pictures and stories of suffering, especially when they involve a young child. Recently, my friend and...
Private Companies Profit From War
War in Iraq and Afghanistan has produced a windfall for politically connected contractors in the private sector, according to an ethics and public-policy watchdog group. More than 70 American companies and individuals...
Any Extra Places Around Your Table?
A church is a community like no other—at least it should be, according to Jesus. "An Inclusive Community of Grace." "Relationships More Important Than Programs." "Embracing Diversity. Rejecting Uniformity." "Your Place...
Critics Debate the God in ‘Joan of Arcadia’
"God is in the details," said Mies van der Rohe. But van der Rohe was an architect—not a VP of programming at a major network. If he had been, he likely wouldn't have coined the phrase. CBS' freshman hit, "Joan of...
Halloween a Top Holiday for Drinking and Driving
As if ghosts and goblins weren't enough to fear—or even urban legends about poisoned candy and razor blades in apples—Halloween is becoming one of the most dangerous nights of the year for drunk driving. Halloween has...
A House of Prayer for All Peoples: Congregations Building Multiracial Community
"Racism has prevailed as an organizing principle of religious life" in the United States, laments author Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook. But the ministry of racial inclusion, far from being merely a "program" of the church,...
Looking at Leadership
Are all Christians leaders? A careful search of Scripture does not reveal a specific command from Jesus to "be a leader." It does, however, issue a call to a kind of revolutionary discipleship and commitment that...
Newspaper Profiles Internet Drug Trafficking
The Internet has become a virtual pipeline for the abuse of prescription drugs, according to a five-part investigative series by the Washington Post. Rogue Internet pharmacies operate with little regulation, target...
Conservative Theology Has Produced Social Progressives Before
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley's $1.2 billion tax proposal, designed to improve the state's educational system and to shift tax burdens away from the poor, was soundly defeated last month by a large majority of Alabama voters....
Upcoming North Carolina Convention Potential Turning Point
Observers say the tide could turn this year in one of the few Baptist state conventions to resist conservative domination of the Southern Baptist Convention. Many consider 1990 the deciding year in the long battle for...
HIPAA Protects Privacy and Fosters Frustration
Mention the acronym "HIPAA" to a roomful of clergy and the immediate response is frustration. Six months after full implementation, it appears that the HIPAA Privacy Rule is not well understood by some hospital...
Actress Mary Steenburgen Seeks Childhood Magic
Movie critic Leonard Maltin, in his Movie Encyclopedia, called Mary Steenburgen "one of the screen's most compulsively watchable actresses." Having won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 1980's "Melvin and Howard,"...
Wary of Anti-American Mood, Muslims Begin Ramadan
President Bush praised the way people of various faiths have shaped the character of the United States in a Friday message recognizing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "Islam is a peaceful religion, and people who...