Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Top Religion Stories of the Coming Year
Other writers will look back at the year just coming to a close and offer judgment about the top religion stories of the year. Such a list will no doubt include things like the 9-11 memorial services, clergy sex...
Sharing the Light
The creative act of separating light from darkness is ongoing. As long as darkness is present in the form of evil, chaos and confusion, God will be working to create light and separate the light from the darkness,...
“Nicholas Nickleby”
Hathaway is just one member of a young but exceptional cast in this adaptation of Charles Dickens' lengthy novel Nicholas Nickleby. Hathaway plays Madeline Bray, a destitute young woman who captures the attention of...
Death Not Too Much to Pay for Peace
Christian Peacemaker Teams was founded in 1988 by members of the Mennonite Church. Its purpose: to offer "an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of lethal conflict." "You will die today," said its...
‘Nickleby’ Explores Family Complexity
Put family under a microscope, and one finds a complex organism. Writer-director Doug McGrath's current film adaptation of Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby does just that. Through McGrath's lens, audiences see all...
The Hope of the World
Let us pray this Christmas that those who are hungry might have bread, and that those of us who have bread might have a hunger to be charitable and to do justice of the common good. The first Christmas was about hunger...
So Near, Yet So Far
It is still not too late to simplify your Christmas and reach out to those in whose faces we see the incarnate Christ. By doing this we can all find a way to get nearer to the true meaning of Christmas, and keep the...
Officials Respond to Mormon Monday Family Time
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints doesn't hold meetings or events on Monday nights so its churchgoers can spend the evening with family, and they have put pressure on communities to do the same. The...
It’s The Season to Eat, Drink and Drink Some More
In the midst of the frenzy, the rush, the stress of the season, I wonder, "Why don't we drink even more?" In the midst of this drunken state, I pondered the question, "In this high and holy Advent season, why do we...
Embracing Hopes and Fears at Christmas
Hopes and fears. Phillips Brooks got it right. The end of Advent and the celebration of Christmas should too. Our world is not so different from the world described by Luke and Matthew. Homeless people are turned away...
The Story of Incarnation
He came in flesh to save humankind and show God's love. He is beloved by his millions of devoted disciples, who tell stories of his exploits on earth and worship him as God. His name is Krishna. To some he is an...
Baptist World Aid Helps Besieged Bethlehem
With tensions high and strict curfews, it looks as though the town of Jesus' birth will see little fanfare as his birthday approaches. Bethlehem has been under a strict curfew since Nov. 22, which means people are not...
“Star Trek: Nemesis”
Have you noticed that when you eat a piece of cake that is so good you have to have a second piece, that the second piece does not taste as good as the first? "Star Trek: Nemesis" is the about the fourth piece from...
Outlaw Christmas—It Wouldn’t Be the First Time
The fascination—even obsession—with the celebration of Christmas has not always been part of the American landscape. In fact, the earliest Americans opposed and even made laws against the observance of Christmas. Many...
On a Quiet Night in Bethlehem
God sent his Christmas gift special delivery as a babe in a manger. The Son of God was not a celebrity messiah, but the Savior who lived to reveal the ways of God to people just like you and me. Although the young...
BuyNothingChristmas.org
BuyNothingChristmas.org suggests some creative alternatives—homemade clothes, toys, ornaments and treats—to giving in to the consumer frenzy surrounding Christmas. At least that is what a group of Canadian Mennonites...
Eternal Light Emerges Out of the Darkness of History
What do you want for Christmas this year? If you read the papers and listen to the news, you might think you've got a patriotic duty to want a plasma-screen TV and a luxury car. A house and a truckload of industrial...
I Believe in Santa Claus
St. Nick is not the problem; the problem is how we use him. Like most children, every Christmas Eve we would put out cookies and a Coke for Santa to have a snack when he visited our house. On Christmas morning, I would...
“Solaris”
"Solaris" uses science fiction to explore the problems we have in relationships and our lack of understanding those we relate to. He goes on to say that the forgiveness we give when we are wronged allows us to be...
Shopping Outlets Increase
Those who are venturing out to purchase Christmas gifts have many options for places to shop. According to the Statistical Abstract of the United States 2002, there are 45,827 malls and shopping centers in the United...
Have Yourself a Sparkly Christmas
Our neighborhood is sparkly again. Folks have decorated their homes for Christmas. Joanna, Lindsay, Molly and I never have lived where so many neighbors hang lights on just about everything within extension cord reach...