Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Number of Teen Virgins Increases
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the percentage of high school seniors who said they were virgins has increased over the past decade. A report from the Centers for Disease...
Smart-Mouth.org
Need help getting kids interested in eating healthy? Smart-Mouth.org, a new Web site by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, is a fun and interactive site aimed at doing just that. The homepage offers a...
Expecting Results Before Taking Action
In our instant society, let's look at things over the long term and see how, by acting locally today, we may be able to make a difference globally over a much longer period. Some donors, both individual and corporate,...
Greed Results in Idolatry
Greed moves something else into God's place. Our stuff becomes the source of life. We live to get and have more and more things. And these things, we believe, add meaning to our lives. Well, welcome to the real world....
Internet Use Part of College Students’ Routines
College students are heavy users of the Internet compared to the general population, according to a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "Use of the Internet is a part of college students' daily...
The Most Important Thing About a Name
Beyond the name that's been given you or the name you've made for yourself, the most important thing about your name is where it is written. Their request was denied by the German government, which has laws making...
A Remarkable Story of Forgiveness
Although expressions of forgiveness do not always require the forfeiture of penalty or restitution, authentic forgiveness does require the relinquishment of vengeance by the offended, and it does seek the reformation...
Peace Petition’s Value
Those engaged in public witness for peace must frequently ask themselves what good their efforts do. More than 13,400 Mennonites can ask themselves that question now. As of Sept. 14, that's how many people had signed a...
The Most Important Thing About a Name
Beyond the name that's been given you or the name you've made for yourself, the most important thing about your name is where it is written. Their request was denied by the German government, which has laws making...
A New Method of Motivating Others
What would happen in your congregation if you suddenly made an announcement that you would like for members of the congregation to be more welcoming of guests who come to your church? What if you announced that you...
When Religion Becomes Evil
Kimball spends the bulk of the book unpacking religion's potential for evil, reserving the last chapter for a briefer discussion of how religion at its best may offer the only lasting hope for a peaceful world. Kimball...
Global Baptist Leaders Say Iraq War Won’t Bring Peace
As the United States stands on the verge of war with Iraq, many Baptists are voicing concern over America's new military strategy of "pre-emptive action." Fundamentalist voices are crying for war, while many moderate...
Fall Movie Preview
Studios traditionally roll out their "heavy gun" movies in the fall. We see the films that will vie for Best Picture and Best Acting Oscars. This fall, there are some unlikely actors giving unlikely performances. A...
‘The Next Christianity’—Growth and Mutation
"It's very likely that in a decade or two neither component of global Christianity will recognize its counterpart as fully or authentically Christian," wrote Jenkins. "We are at a moment as epochal as the Reformation...
Study Shows Religious Youth More Positive
High school seniors who said religion was important to them also had more positive attitudes about themselves than those who said religion was not important. The National Study of Youth and Religion, based at the...
53-year Pastorate Brings Joys and Success on Different Scale
PRAIRIE HILL, Texas--The gates to the Prairie Hill Cemetery stand on both the east and west sides of Prairie Hill Baptist Church, but for 53 years, Pastor Fred Sain has stood between, serving as doorman at the gate...
When Deacons Get Stuck: Apathy and Self-perpetuation
We can't lose sight of the fact that a congregation will never move beyond its spiritual leadership, and that deacons are part of that spiritual leadership team. If a deacon body gets stuck in maintenance or control...
Religious, Public Radio Stations Compete for Airwaves
In the battle over the airwaves, public and religious radio stations are in fierce competition for a limited number of spots on the dial. In 1997, the Rev. Don Wildmon decided the best way to promote the Christian...
The Role of Second Baptist Church in the Little Rock Central High School Crisis
In early September 1957, a hostile crowd watched as Arkansas National Guard troops blocked the entrance of nine black students into the all-white Little Rock Central High School. Three weeks later, on Sept. 25, 1957,...
Apply Just War Principles to the Decision About Iraq
Remember these days; history certainly won't forget them. Decisions framed in Washington will shape global politics and international relations for decades. The Bush administration has said Iraq's Hussein regime must...
Father Loses Joy of Daughter but Keeps Faith
Her name was Tish. It means "joy and delight." And that's what she always was for me. But just before dawn on June 7, my redheaded dynamo of fun was killed in an automobile accident. My joy turned to sorrow. I want to...