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Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Burning Valentines: The Hindu Nationalists Behind It
Last week, several Hindu nationalist groups issued statements against the celebration of Valentine's Day. One group, Shiv Sena, protested the day by burning Valentine's Day cards at parliament in New Delhi (see related...
Hindu Nationalists Burn Valentines to Protest West
Hindus protested an encroaching Western culture by burning Valentine's Day cards at parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday, according to various news reports. Roughly 20 members of a Hindu unity group called Shiv Sena...
High Holidays and Obscured Holy Days
Holy days are important in the life of any faith tradition. They are essential to asserting and maintaining faith identity. That's why Muslim, Jewish and Hindu worshipers were angry a few years back. Southern Baptist...
Baptist Church Begins Lent by “Burning of Burdens”
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season for the western church. Typically celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church and other liturgical denominations, Ash Wednesday is meant to remind participants of...
Cotton Patch for the Kingdom
Every good Baptist needs to read Cotton Patch for the Kingdom, the newest book about Clarence Jordan and Koinonia Farm. It's a painful reminder of the racial meanness that oozed from Baptist churches, and a hopeful...
Dealing with Denominational Grief
Loss—even denominational loss—brings grief. The Baptist family has been caught up in theological and political skirmishes since 1979. The resulting denominational fragmentation is a form of loss that causes grief....
We’re at War: Facing Change with Courage, Faith and Creativity
How have your life, church, family, business and community changed since Sept. 11th? In many instances people will readily discuss the changes in their lives, businesses, communities and even families. But rarely do we...
Kids Getting Too Much “Screen Time”
I used to ignore my contribution to statistics about the time kids spend watching television and videos, playing electronic games and sitting in front of a computer monitor. After all, until recently we had only one...
Church’s Enthusiasm Grows as it Readies to Build 12th house in 12 Years
It all started in 1990 when Marillyn Nations began a crusade to get First Baptist Church in Kingsport, Tenn., to build a Habitat for Humanity house. Pete Morrisett, a member of First Baptist, said Nations did not want...
All I Really Need to Know …
I learned some of life's most valuable lessons in Sunday School. I know that best-selling author Robert Fulghum argued that all he really needed to know he learned in kindergarten. Although Fulghum's works are among my...
US Presence in Philippines Increasing Religious Tension
Following President Bush's promise to wipe out terrorism wherever it exists, U.S. troops began training exercises with the Armed Forces of the Philippines late last week on Basilan island. Basilan is home to the...
Bush Says Tolerance a Faith Command, Some Faithful See Tolerance as Satanic Ploy
Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the National Prayer Breakfast, President Bush encouraged tolerance. "For millions of Americans, the practice of tolerance is a command of faith," he said. "For millions of Americans,...
Temptation to Plagiarize Great—Even for Preachers
Preachers and seminary professors agree that coming up with fresh sermons a few times a week is challenging. So where should ministers draw the line when it comes to using another preacher's material? Writing for the...
Movies Aren’t for Proselytizing: An Interview with Linda Seger
Linda Seger is likely the most well-known script consultant in the world. She counsels literally thousands of screenwriters, producers and filmmakers. Her clients have included Ray Bradbury ("Fahrenheit 451"), Tony...
Web Site Offers Muslims a Guide to Missionary Tactics
A hidden agenda, circular reasoning, mistranslations and quoting out of context are a few "tactics" missionaries employ to convert Muslims, according to a Web site about Islam. Cyber Islam (www.cyberislam.com), founded...
Words Can Heal World, NYC Group Says
Ethical speech advocates said pledging to avoid gossip one hour a day can make this world a better place. Launched by New York religious writer Irwin Katsof on Sept. 4 last year, the Words Can Heal campaign is running...
Inmate’s Heart Transplant Raises Questions About Healthcare for Convicted Felons
A two-time convicted felon received a heart transplant last month at Stanford Medical Center. With more than 4,100 on the waiting list for a new heart—500 in California alone—taxpayers footed the bill for the inmate's...
What are the Real Issues in America’s Rural Churches?
The rural sociology department of the University of Missouri asked pastors and lay leaders of about 400 rural churches across that state to list the advantages and disadvantages of rural church life and ministry....
Havel Says Reality is “Being”
From the time he authored his first play, "The Garden Party," in 1963 until he was elected as first president of the Czech and Slovak Federated Republic, Vaclav Havel demonstrated his propensity for "living in the...
Anabaptist Spectrum Remains Colorful
With the Feb. 1 merger that created Mennonite Church USA, two prominent segments of America's Anabaptist community have become one. But what is the variety of other Anabaptist churches like? Where do their priorities...
Youth Ministry: Are We Creating Parts Without a Body?
Our youth group got a Sunday evening off during the Advent season. Rather than doing the usual youth Bible study the youth were invited to participate in the "adult" group. Only three of them showed up. In the middle...