Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Government Funding for Abstinence Education Reaches All-Time High
Government funding for abstinence education is at an all-time high, reaching $120 million this year. Abstinence education supporters call the funding a step in the right direction, but said that more needs to be done....
Failures of Oversight Affect Trust in Institutions
In the wake of corporate and church scandals, what needs to be restored: trust or distrust? Distrust, said Dennis Thompson, keynote speaker at the recent meeting of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics...
MCC Wants to Avoid Military Role in Iraq Aid
AMMAN, Jordan - As Mennonite Central Committee prepares to implement aid programs in Iraq, MCC staff are increasingly concerned about the involvement of the U.S. and British military in providing humanitarian aid. MCC...
War Hits Home
Tonight I kissed my boy goodnight and tucked him into bed, as again he prayed that we would catch the men we seek and that God would help the war to end soon. I wonder how many more nights he will have to say that...
Peace Merchandise Hottest Since Vietnam War
People are demonstrating their philosophies on peace without joining marches and signing petitions—they are wearing buttons and T-shirts, posting yard signs and flying flags. Peace has turned out to be quite a...
Observing Holy Week Can Enrich Faith
This year as you approach Holy Week, try meditating on the whole story of Jesus' passion. Take time to listen to the voices of the crowd. Hear again the words of Jesus and ponder his days in Jerusalem. Other Gospel...
Civilian Deaths Should Prompt Christian Call for Cease-Fire
Does the body count of civilians in the U.S.-led attack on Iraq matter morally? If the question is asked of the American press, their overall coverage answers "no." For three weeks, the American media have shown mostly...
Palm Sunday Crowd Got Words Right, Meaning Wrong
If you love irony, Palm Sunday's for you. This coming Sunday, one week before Easter, Christians around the globe will remember Jesus' short trip from Bethany to Jerusalem five days before his crucifixion. We call it...
Choosing Barabbas Puts Someone on a Cross
We have found ourselves facing some crisis that forced us to choose either a Barabbas-like solution or the Jesus option. So far, we have not fared any better than that first Good Friday crowd. We keep choosing violence...
The Kurds: A Profile
All Kurds dream of a free Kurdistan, and they hope the overthrow of Saddam Hussein will help them turn dream into reality. The Medes and the Chaldeans captured Nineveh in 612 B.C., 130 years after Jonah was sent to...
Muslim Newspaper Editorials Focus on Military Occupation of Iraq
As the U.S. military encircled Baghdad, English-language Arab and Muslim newspaper editorials pivoted attention away from the invasion to the occupation of Iraq. The Yemen Times expressed suspicion about the >U.S....
Second Gulf War Takes Toll on Creation
Much of the fighting and dying of the war has and will occur around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, described for years by Western historians as "the birthplace of civilization." Much of the fighting and dying of the...
Church of Scientology Censured for Ads Claiming Salvation From Drug Abuse
Claims made by a Church of Scientology advertisement that the group had "salvaged" 250,000 people from drug abuse have been censured by the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA said the claims were...
Pastors Should Prohibit ‘Proselytizing’
As much as possible, people should work out their conflicts within their own community of faith. It won't always work, and people do have legitimate reasons for changing congregations. But pastors who make it too easy...
Do Celebrity Opinions on War Affect You?
More than 80 percent of Americans say celebrities' political opinions don't affect their own political opinions, according to a recent CNN/USAToday/Gallup poll. But Americans' self-reporting on this matter seems...
Abram: The Courage to Follow a New Vision
Editor's note: What follows is a supplement for teachers of Courageous Churches, the newest online curriculum from Acacia Resources. Each Friday, curriculum editor Jan Turrentine will offer relevant tips for the next...
British Aid Groups Reject Government Support for Iraq Relief
Several British aid organizations have declined government financial support for their relief work in Iraq for fear of compromising their independence, according to Guardian. Directors of Oxfam, Save the Children,...
“Head of State”
If you hang around Hollywood long enough and your star power shines bright enough, you'll be given an opportunity to direct your own feature film. The old joke is that most people who act do so in hopes of one day...
Rural Communities Experience Natural, Cultural Springtime
For many rural communities, this is a kind of springtime. The old has died. Something new is coming. The early flowers brighten our landscape. Fruit trees are now in glorious bloom. Newborn calves cavort across green...
British Schools Ban Hot Cross Buns
Political correctness may win out in a recent British ban on buns—the hot cross kind. Giving in to fears of offending non-Christian students, schools across Britain have been ordered by local authorities to refrain...
All CPTers Now Safely Out Of Iraq
All 15 Christian Peacemaker Teams personnel who were in Baghdad have left or been expelled from Iraq, and a vehicle crash complicated the departure for some of them. Two CPT members, including a Mennonite pastor from...