Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Secrets of the Spiritual Life
For people of faith, one of the more exciting aspects of recent cultural shifts in the United States is a renewed awareness of our spiritual existence. For better or worse this new cultural identity has served as the...
Fast-food Diners Finding Healthier Alternatives
Dieters can now grab lunch on the go without super-sizing their intake of fat and calories at a burger joint. The answer: "fast-casual" restaurants. Eateries like Panera Bread, Au Bon Pain, Baja Fresh and Subway are...
“Levity”
Judaism teaches that God created Adam alone in the world to teach humanity that whoever destroys one soul destroys the whole world, and whoever saves one soul saves the whole world. "Levity," a new film from...
Floating Up, Falling Down: An Interview With Ed Solomon
More than 2 million Americans are now behind bars, according to the Justice Department. That's one out of every 142 U.S. residents. Where do those who are eventually released go? What do they do? If they were...
Miriam: The Courage to Speak to Power
"To live the full life," she once said, "one must have the courage to bear the responsibility of the needs of others . . . one must want to bear this responsibility." She is Aung San Suu Kyi, an extraordinary example...
Bridging Gaps With Holes: An Interview With Andrew Davis
Hollywood is always shoveling a lot of something, and occasionally its glitzy spade tosses a few genuine stories over its shoulder. "Holes" is one of them. It debuted last weekend No. 2 at the box office with about $16...
Editorials Question U.S. Evidence of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Arab English-language newspaper editorials are asking the whereabouts of Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction. "Having chosen them as the key reason for war, Washington has to prove its case," said Arab News,...
Thomas J. Holmes: Model of Pastoral Courage
Many pastors and churches in the Deep South struggled with the challenges of racial integration during the 1960's, but few of them did so with more courage than Thomas J. Holmes, pastor of the Tattnall Square Baptist...
BWA Labels Priority Needs In Iraq
Clean drinking water, to avoid a serious outbreak of cholera and typhoid, is an immediate need in Iraq, reports a Hungarian Baptist coordinating global relief efforts in conjunction with Baptist World Aid. Bela...
Stamping the Grass With Words: An Interview With Page McBrier
Page McBrier stood by a hand-dug pond on a hillside in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Filled with water diverted from a nearby stream, that pond was home to tilapia, a type of African freshwater fish often raised for food. A...
Read to Feed
Who says ending world hunger is a job for grown-ups? Heifer International is bringing young people in on its mission to make poor families self-sufficient. Heifer International is a non-profit organization working to...
How Much Is Enough? Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture
North America's unprecedented prosperity has left our lives full but not necessarily fulfilled. That is because "material advantages can capture the heart," but they cannot nourish the soul, contends author and...
Devil Alive and Well in U.S. Polls
While many studies suggest traditional Christian views are eroding, belief in the devil appears to be on the rise. According to two recent polls, more than two-thirds of Americans believe Satan exists. The numbers are...
Americans’ Use of Technology Shifting
Americans have moved beyond using technology just to surf the Internet and listen to CDs. They now seek technology that brings order to their lives, according to a recent study by the Barna Research Group. Barna...
‘What Jesus Meant: The Beatitudes and a Meaningful Life’
Like the Beatitudes themselves, Erik Kolbell's reflections on the eight statements are alternately encouraging or disturbing, but they will not leave one untouched. In What Jesus Meant: The Beatitudes and a Meaningful...
Dynamics of Leadership
No one leads all of the time. Throughout the course of a day, nearly everyone has moments of leading and moments of following. In this column, I identity what separates leaders from followers by identifying three items...
Churches Strive to Practice What They Preach on Environment
Environmental initiatives by religious groups are becoming more common, says Gary Gardner, director of research at the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington-based environmental think tank. It's also becoming more common...
Human Cloning: Hubris or Co-Creation?
The most public debate in bioethics today centers on the technology of cloning. Scientists can now reproductively clone some mammals with a modicum of reliability. Scientists also believe that cloning can expand and...
Confessions of a Baptist Preacher
Opinion polls tell us that Baptist preachers rank near the bottom on the respectability list, right there with used-car salesmen and lawyers. I admire his bold confession. We both know the low regard many people have...
The Experiencing the Word New Testament
The Holman Christian Standard Bible debuts in fall 2003 Sunday-school curriculum from LifeWay Christian Resources. This new version of the Bible is backed by the strength of the Southern Baptist Convention's publishing...
Patient-Privacy Law Could Hinder Chaplains
A new federal law limiting access to patient information could make it harder for chaplains to minister in hospitals. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which went into effect April 14, is...