Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
“The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”
Based on the best-selling Rebecca Wells novel, "The Divine Secrets of Ya-Ya Sisterhood" is a southern tale of family life. It presents Sidda Lee Walker, an accomplished playwright whose play has finally hit Broadway....
A New Religious America
The U.S Constitution begins with the words, "We the people …" In America today our nation is being challenged in numerous ways to redefine what is meant by "We." Diana Eck sees this as the central challenge facing our...
White House Remains Silent about Vines’ Remarks
President Bush's recent praise of Southern Baptists as champions of religious tolerance seemed tarnished in light of anti-Islamic comments made by the Rev. Jerry Vines of Florida during his June 10 address to pastors....
Vines’ Speech Tarnishes Golden Rule
Southern Baptist fundamentalists continued their hateful attack on non-Christian religions this week at their annual convention, meeting in St. Louis. Former SBC president Jerry Vines told pastors "Islam was founded by...
Faith Leaders Criticize Vines’ Anti-Islamic Charges
Islamic and Christian leaders reacted critically to statements made at the Southern Baptist Convention meeting that the revered founder of Islam was a "demon-possessed pedophile." Former SBC president Jerry Vines told...
Taking a Close Look at Our Culture of Need
One of the least reported stories in the aftermath of the World Trade Center collapse was the murky fate of scores of homeless or displaced people who found their only havens of safety in Lower Manhattan - often inside...
Baptists: Confessional, Creedal or Other?
The Southern Baptist Convention's use of its faith statement, the Baptist Faith and Message, to ensure doctrinal integrity has raised anew the cry, "Creedalism!" Below is some basic guidance for setting Baptist creedal...
Japanese Women in Ministry’s Letter to Merritt
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following letter, dated May 22, 2002, was given to SBC President James Merritt during his recent visit to Japan by the women in ministry of the Japanese Baptist Convention. It was translated into...
Hispanic Southern Baptists Embrace Current Baptist Faith & Message
ST. LOUIS--The National Fellowship of Hispanic Southern Baptist Churches has amended its constitution and bylaws to embrace the current version of the Baptist Faith & Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist...
President Bush: Baptists ‘Good and Faithful Servants’
ST. LOUIS--God will praise Southern Baptists as "good and faithful servants," President George W. Bush predicted in an address broadcast by satellite to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 11. During a...
Where’s Revival in SBC? Evangelist Asks
ST. LOUIS--"Conservative resurgence" has not produced revival in the Southern Baptist Convention, evangelist Freddie Gage said at the conclusion of the first session of the SBC annual meeting June 11. "I can remember...
America’s New Ally in the War on Terrorism
The world's most recognizable rock star, an outspoken advocate for third world debt relief, and a self-described egomaniac, Bono is also America's new ally in the War on Terrorism. Though he has advocated humanitarian...
Pat Robertson’s Gold Fever Pans Out Financial Loss
Pat Robertson's gold mining and oil drilling deals have lost $78 million dollars, according to a feature story in Fortune magazine. "All told, the Robertson Charitable Remainder Trust has burned through an estimated...
Baptist Interfaith Witness: A Look Back
The Southern Baptist Convention created the program of interfaith witness in 1965 and assigned it to the Home Mission Board. M. Thomas Starkes was the first director. In its early years, the interfaith witness...
Baptists Diverse in Responses to Need
I was the guest preacher in a little Dutch church in the Netherlands, and had gathered with the deacons for a time of prayer before worship. We were sitting comfortably when one brother invited us to pray, so I closed...
Common Prayers: Faith, Family, and a Christian’s Journey through the Jewish Year
For many clergy, the typical wedding involves a bride and groom who come from different religious traditions. More and more, it's not just a matter of Baptist-Methodist or Presbyterian-Disciples; it's Baptist-Jewish...
Spiritual Paths to Fruits of the Spirit: Part 2
This column makes two primary assumptions: that fruits of the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:22-23, form an excellent set of benchmarks for Christian maturity, and that a unique spiritual pathway for pursuing each...
Baptist Ministers and Taxes—W.W.J.D.?
A Baptist minister is making news. At issue is the "parsonage allowance" for clergy, which is sheltered from federal income tax. Pastor Rick Warren of the 18,000 member Saddleback Community Church in California is...
West African Church Confronts AIDS Crisis
Life in the village of Koutoura in the West African nation of Burkina Faso is strikingly similar to what it must have been like 100 or even 500 years ago. By and large, villagers grow their own food, make their own...
“Insomnia”
"Insomnia" is a murder mystery from Christopher Nolan, director of last year's highly successful independent film, "Memento." The film is based on a 1998 Norwegian film by the same name that starred Stellan Skarsgard...
SBC’s Numbers Decline after Push for Doctrinal Integrity
The total number of baptisms and Sunday school enrollment fell in 2001, following a 2000 doctrinal statement by the fundamentalist-controlled Southern Baptist Convention. The statement was an effort to purify the...