Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Most Americans Call Themselves Christians
America is a Christian nation, according to an ABCNews/Beliefnet poll that asked, "What if anything is your religion?" In a random national sampling of 1,022 adults, 83 percent identified themselves as Christians, in...
Racial Split Widens, Poll Finds
Americans are more divided in their perceptions of race than ever before, according to a Gallup poll released earlier this month. The Gallup 2001 Social Audit on Black/White relations revealed that 66 percent of blacks...
Forgive and Forget: Prescription for Better Health, Happiness
Forgiveness used to be for wimps, but things are different now. Dr. Robert Karen knows a thing or two about forgiveness. Karen has written two books about the subject. His most recent book, The Forgiving Self: The Road...
Gifts to Charity in U.S. Topped $203 Billion: Religious Organizations Receive Largest Percentage
Last year, American companies and individuals gave more than $203 billion to charity--up 3.2 percent from 1999 in inflation-adjusted dollars--but some could afford to give more than they did. A recent study showed that...
Baptists Celebrate BCE’s Anniversary, Extend Proactive Mandate
Congregational leaders and renowned theologians urged the Baptist Center for Ethics last week to continue its mission of supplying quality and proactive resources to Christians across America. "Bless you, BCE, for...
Film Rating Board Takes Flak
Some family groups think it's too liberal. Some industry types think it's too conservative. Some government bodies think it's too ineffective. The Rating Board of the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA)...
Justice O’Connor: Innocent Defendants May Be Receiving Death Penalty
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor questioned the fairness of the death penalty in a July 2 speech, saying, "the system may well be allowing some innocent defendants to be executed," according to the Washington...
Putin Speaks Against Death Penalty
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed strong opposition Monday to the death penalty, saying Russia should not restore executions despite public support for them. "The state must not claim the right to take human...
Americans Talk Trashy
At the office, on the plane, in the grocery store, at school ... profane language seems to be everywhere. Some argue the capacity to curse is built in, while others say it reflects ignorance and laziness. Whatever...
Cuss Control Academy Takes on Filthy Language
Some people just sit by while people around them use profanity. The Cuss Control Academy has made it its mission to use classes, presentations, media coverage, its Web site and its new book, Cuss Control, to influence...
Many G-rated Movies Include Smoking, Drinking
Nearly half of animated, G-rated, theatrical releases exhibit alcohol and tobacco use while failing to send messages about long-term effects, according to a new study. Kimberly Thompson and Fumie Yokota of Harvard's...
Americans Continue to Give Homosexuality Their Stamp of Approval
American opinions about homosexuality continue to become more liberal, according to a recent Gallup poll. The slow but steady increase in the approval of homosexual lifestyles has taken the majority spot, with 52...
One Reader Responds to Shocking Census Figures
Certainly the morals--or lack thereof--indicated in the research are cause for concern, but equally distressing are Gallup's proposed solutions to this problem. The May 29 issue of bcE*byte carried an article about the...
SBC’s Annual Meeting Theme Underscores Desire to Occupy America
Occupation is part of the Southern Baptist Convention's 2001 annual meeting theme, reinforcing a decade-long message that the fundamentalist-controlled SBC wants a political takeover of American culture. Printed on...
Religious Persecution not Reserved for Christians
Afghanistan's Islamic Taliban rulers have announced plans to force Hindus to wear an identity label on their clothing to distinguish them from Muslims, according to recent news reports. Non-Muslims make up a small...
Charities Criticize Tax Cut Bill Delay
Leading non-profit organizations questioned President Bush's commitment last week to boosting community organizations after the White House decided to do without $90 billion in tax breaks to aid charities, according to...
Premarital Sex Morally Okay, Say Most Americans
With the so-called "decline" of the traditional nuclear family come the shocking--or maybe not so shocking--numbers to confirm this downward spiral. A recent Gallup poll confirmed speculations about waning Christian...
Jabez: Answer to Prayer or Cause for Another?
It's been No.1 on both the New York Times and USA TODAY best sellers' list. It has sold more than 4 million copies. For many readers, Bruce Wilkinson's The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life is a...
The Prayer of Jabez and the Prayer of Jesus
A little book about a short prayer is sweeping the nation. Christian booksellers across the country are reporting record sales of Bruce Wilkinson's The Prayer of Jabez. Jabez, an otherwise unknown biblical character,...
Census Data and Utah Court Case Force American Family to Take Center Stage
New census figures and a Utah court case shoved the American family into center stage last week, if only for a few minutes of fleeting national attention. The 2000 census figures gave evidence of the declining nature...
Newspaper Editorials Examine Census Data on Family
"You wanna watch 'Ozzie and Harry,' 'Stepfather Knows Best,' or 'The Little Halfway House on the Prairie'?" This question, which appeared in a May 18 Lexington Herald-Leader editorial cartoon, epitomizes the changes...