Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Ideas That Challenge our Assumptions
Plato said the unexamined life is not worth living. Could it also be true that the unexamined faith is not worth believing? That might overstate the case. But there is value in holding our beliefs up to scrutiny,...
Spiritual Paths to Fruits of the Spirit: Part 1
Congregational leaders have been in the news again, with "character" being the focus. One of the leadership responsibilities of a pastor is to lead by example. Pastors and priests are called to lead by displaying the...
Fast Food and the Decline of Community
I have heard for years that "we are what we eat." I suspect this is so. And if it is, I wonder what else about eating might be true. Are we also how we eat, or where we eat? Catholic theologian Massimo Salani certainly...
Going to Church When You Travel
Summer is here and so is the busiest travel season of the year. When you are traveling, whether visiting friends or going on a family vacation, do you attend church services? If not, you may be missing a unique...
How to Face Aging
I don't want a fountain of youth. I don't want to live until I'm 200. But I would like to live maybe until I'm 100, and have at least a few family members and friends nearby. I don't want my kids to forget me. In this...
‘Eyes of the World’ Watch D-Day in Movies
Fifty-eight years ago today, Allied Expeditionary Forces invaded France's Normandy beaches to begin liberating Europe from Nazi tyranny. June 6, 1944—D-Day—witnessed the largest air, land and sea military operation in...
It Can Take a Village … to Save a Child
I recently toured a domestic violence shelter. The facility is a secure site, and visitors are required to sign confidentiality agreements, pledging not to reveal the location or anything about the victims of domestic...
Deacons Must Deal with Ministerial Incompetence
Deacons deal with more than the "power people" in the church. Unfortunately, they must also sometimes face ministerial incompetence. Leonard Sweet observed several years ago that most ministers were trained in seminary...
Internet ‘Gossip’ Undermines Christians’ Credibility
One of the earliest games we played in Sunday School was "Gossip." Maybe you played it too. The teacher lined all the children in single file and whispered a message into the ear of the child at one end of the line....
Study Says Some Anti-Smoking Ads Work, Others Don’t
Edgy anti-tobacco ads discourage youth from smoking, but tamer anti-tobacco ads from tobacco giants do not, according to a new study. "Whereas exposure to the 'truth' campaign positively changed youths' attitudes...
“Stolen Summer”
Much is already known about "Stolen Summer." Originally a screenplay written by Peter Jones, "Summer" won a contest sponsored by Miramax and actors/screenwriters Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Once the screenplay was...
Americans Still Favor the Death Penalty
Maryland Gov. Paris Glendening's recent decision to impose a moratorium on executions in his state shows that the debate over the death penalty remains strong. The state of Illinois has had a moratorium in place since...
What Happened to the Southern Baptist Convention Disney Boycott?
Five years after launching a blistering verbal attack on the Walt Disney Company, the Southern Baptist Convention is mute about its boycott. At the 1996 SBC meeting, Southern Baptists passed a resolution warning of a...
“Hear Ye, Hear Ye”: Tenn. Pastor Organizes Bible Reading Marathon
It took maybe 1,600 years to compose and compile the Bible. The Rev. Ken Sharp figured out it takes 90 hours to read it straight through, out loud. He knows because, several days ago, he organized a round-the-clock...
Indoor Air Pollution Is Unknown Threat
Outdoor air pollution is dangerous, especially during the May-September smog season. But indoor air pollution poses a problem as well, and it's one that has been around for a while. In the 19th century, two of the most...
EthicsDaily.com Readers Weigh-in on Issues
EthicsDaily.com uses its weekly poll to gauge where readers stand on various issues. Last week EthicsDaily.com asked, "Should the SBC continue its boycott of Disney?" Seventy-five percent of those who responded to the...
Spirit: How Two Reviewers See It
At a time when the preservation of wilderness country is a hotly debated political issue in our nation, there is nothing wrong with a reminder of how much we have already lost. "Spirit" is worth seeing just for the...
Environmental Concerns in Rural Communities
The Great Plains "Dust Bowl" of the mid-1930s provided a wake-up call for farmers, ranchers and the federal government. The topsoil was being blown off the plains, leaving sterile hardpan behind. Natural resource...
Addiction: Science, Faith Communities Must Choose Words Carefully
Is addiction a physiological disease having both a physical cause and cure? Is addiction a spiritual condition having roots in a concept called "sin"? How can science and faith communities best serve the addict when...
Proposals Would Inject Political Poison into Pulpits
Two bills now pending before the U.S. House of Representatives would breach the wall of separation between church and state and, unfortunately, inject political poison into America's pulpits. They are the Houses of...
Americans Give Low Rating to Nation’s Moral Values
Americans are paradoxically critical of the nation's moral values and accepting of some non-traditional family values. According to a recent Gallup poll, 40 percent of Americans characterized the nation's moral values...