Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Corporate America Plays ‘Spoons’
There's a card game called "spoons" played something like this: Four players encircling three spoons each receive four cards. The dealer draws a card from the deck and passes an unwanted card to the next player, who...
A Statement Concerning the Crisis in Our Nation
We recognize that no individual or organization can speak for all Baptists. The following represents the concern, confession, commitment, and appeal by the majority of the messengers meeting in Houston, Texas, June 5,...
A Bible, a Guitar and a Two-pound Coffee Can
"Are you aware," the stranger said from the far end of the telephone line, "that your second-grade son is giving away his coin collection?" No, I responded, but not in surprise. He, like many second-born sons, was a...
A Message of Fear That Turns a Profit
Faulty theology notwithstanding, the end of the world is pretty good business just now. And why wouldn't it be? The Left Behind fiction series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye—now at 10 books and counting—is selling...
Ethical Wills Bequeath Values, Shape Lives
Facing a life crisis or transition? Consider writing an ethical will. "Ethical wills are a way to share your values, life lessons, hopes and dreams for the future, love, and forgiveness with your family and community,"...
America’s Market Crisis Is More Than Some Bad Apples
Fortune magazine reported that Bernie Ebbers, the founder and former CEO of Worldcom, the nation's second-largest long-distance corporation, owes the company $408 million in loans lent to him by the board of directors...
Where Do Worldcom Execs Go to Church?
A number of months ago, Jim Wallis, editor in chief of Sojourners magazine, wrote a column asking, "Where Do Enron Execs Go to Church?" While Wallis did not specifically answer his rhetorical question, he bluntly...
Ministry in the Shadow of Organ Transplantation
Few medical interventions have captured the moral imagination of Western societies as solid organ transplantations have. The image verges on the miraculous as lives are improved and extended. But transplant medicine...
Relief Agencies Ask for Military Rules to Be Eased
EAST JERUSALEM, West Bank - Heightened Israeli military restrictions on the movement of people within the West Bank are impeding humanitarian efforts for Palestinians, according to Mennonite Central Committee and other...
“K-19: The Widowmaker”
Oddly enough, thoughts of "mutually assured destruction"—as a part of Cold War strategy—were meant to comfort Americans and Soviets. We can nuke you, but we won't, because we know you'll nuke us back if we do. And you...
“Road to Perdition”
It is sad that this film has been compared to "The Godfather." "The Godfather" showed us the politics of the mob within the context of family. "Road to Perdition" shows us the context of family within the politics of...
Searching the Gospels for a Compassionate Response to Reba Cobb
After reading in Baptist Press and EthicsDaily.com about a sermon preached by Reba Cobb, I am compelled to offer an additional ethical perspective that might help us reconsider how we face our own shortcomings and...
Plagiarism, the Press and Moral Misdirection
Got a problem? Blame the press. Facing a crisis? Finger the media. Caught in a moral crunch? Claim reporters suffer from blindness, meanness or anti-religious bigotry. In every situation of scrutiny and criticism,...
Absolutism, Relativism and the Third Way
The Rev. David H. Benke committed heresy by participating in an interfaith prayer service inspired by the events of Sept. 11, according to a ruling of his denomination. In a New York Times article, a fellow minister...
Restoring the New Testament: Churches of Christ
"We are the New Testament church. John Wesley founded the Methodists, John Calvin the Presbyterians, Alexander Campbell the Disciples of Christ, but Baptists have no founder. We go back to Jesus who was baptized by...
And God Spoke: The Authority of the Bible for the Church Today
Where does one go to find a brief yet thorough, informed yet readable introduction to the nature and authority of the Bible in the life of the church? Christopher Bryan's And God Spoke admirably fills the bill. Bryan,...
Super-sized Portions Equal Super-sized People
Getting more for your money could be detrimental to your health, according to a new report by the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity. The report, From Wallet to Waistline: The Hidden Costs of Super Sizing,...
Juvenile Justice: Finding Solutions That Work
In my hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D., a new initiative is under way allowing juveniles charged with a first-time misdemeanor to appear before a jury of other teens who will determine their sentence. Upon reading the...
Becoming a Lifelong Student
During the summer months, I usually re-read the Psalms and the Proverbs. These collections comprise a part of the biblical literature known as "Wisdom Writings." In the introduction to the Proverbs, the wisdom writer...
Ethics, Parenting and Worship Styles
Much has been written over the past decade about "worship wars"—those battles within and between churches over worship style and content. Christian Century recently reported that the chief factor correlated with church...
Officer in Ministry: An Interview with Josh Moody
"Thirty-five … foot pursuit!" Moody called out on the radio as he ran. "What's your 10-20 thirty-five?" asked the dispatcher. "Westbound on Hudson … 3500 block." Moody continued to run, knowing that if he kept his eye...