Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
February 5, 2018
In Atlanta and Montgomery, King's Churches Bear Their Legacies Proudly (KAGSTV) Kentucky Missionary Hatches Plan to Save Zimbabwe Seminary Using Chickens (Kentucky Today) Polls Suggest Less Environmentalism Among U.S....
Concerns Within the Divided Union
We must never be so naive in our hope for solidarity that we neglect to identify and correct our problems. So, while yesterday's editorial concentrated on hope found within the divided union, today we shift gears to...
‘Darkest Hour’
The narrative of history provides many a story worthy of capture on film. It is a rare narrative moment that provides for two stories to be placed on the screen, but the events of May 8 to June 4 in 1940 have yielded...
U.S. Christian Leaders United Against Racism and Poverty
A "Unity Declaration on Racism and Poverty," signed by more than 80 U.S. faith leaders, was sent to members of Congress on Jan. 29. Poverty and racism in the U.S. are inextricable, the declaration noted, and "they are...
February 2, 2018
In Plains, Ga., President Jimmy Carter's Sunday School Program Still Draws Crowds (Washington Post) W.V. Senate Committee on Eduation Takes Up Bill to Require Elective Courses on the Bible (Register-Herald) Church Gun...
Hope Within a Divided Union
Optics can speak more clearly and thunderously than words. Such was the case when President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address this week. The scene was familiar for those who have watched past...
7 Common Obstacles to Growth in Your Congregation
An intentional "clearing of the fields" is necessary in many congregations as part of the cultivation process that positions us for growth. When preparing fields for planting, farmers notice when rocks, roots or any...
What Really Matters if Your Church is Multicultural
If I told you that I had been to a multicultural church, I wonder what you might expect me to have encountered. At the very least, I guess, a congregation that comprises different races and nationalities, seeking in...
February 1, 2018
ESPN Program on Race and Sports to be Filmed in Birmingham at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church (AL.com) Christianity is Out, Public Money is in as Charlotte School Makes a Rare Conversion (Charlotte Observer) Millennials...
Profiles in Goodwill: John Weaver
John Weaver is the chairman of the John Ray Initiative, an educational charity focused on connecting environment, science and Christianity in the United Kingdom. He was principal of South Wales Baptist College until...
The Single Ingredient You Need to Trigger Change
Do you think anybody ever really changes? When my wife, Anita, and I were in seminary, we served a small and loving congregation in southern Indiana. One of our next-door neighbors, a generous man in his late 50s and a...
Atheism Most Common Among U.S. Teens, Barna Says
Atheism is most common among Generation Z, while Christian affiliation is most common among Boomers and Elders, according to a Barna Group report released on Jan. 24. Thirteen percent of respondents in Generation Z...
January 31, 2018
Evangelicals Defend Trump's Alleged Marital Infidelity. But His Infidelity to America is Worse. (NBC News) The State of Religion After Trump's Muslim Ban (Newsweek) What Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and Betsy DeVos Won't...
Rain For The Soul
By: Ginger Hughes The skies gloomy and gray, bestow a slow and steady rain this day. It’s comforting really. That sound, so soft, as the raindrops land gently on the ground. The leaves on the trees do a little dance...
On Cultivating Habits to Live Your Life Well
There is a great danger lurking about - this generalized disdain for tradition, habit and ritual. This is because it is increasingly understood, in various fields of study, that cultivating the proper habits and...
‘Chain Migration’ Terminology is Attack on Families
The term "chain migration" is becoming commonplace in our political discourse when speaking about immigration policy. Media outlets are even using this term with increasing frequency. No question is given, though, to...
Sex Traffickers Often Use ‘Massage Parlors’ as Cover
Illicit massage businesses (IMBs), often called "massage parlors," are often a cover for human trafficking (sex and labor) operations in the U.S., according to a new Polaris Project report released on Jan. 17. There...
January 30, 2018
Baptists Protest Deportation of Church Member Outside ICE Office Where He Was Detained (BNG) Norfolk Churches Join Together to Tackle Modern Slavery (Network Norfolk) Moody Bible Controversy: Former Employee Reveals...
Take care with camel lips
If you've ever been around camels, you can't help but notice that they have large lips, but you don't generally get too close to them, as they have been known to bite and spit -- and camel breath, well, enough said....
Forging a New Era for Cooperation
A Masai tribal talking stick helped broker a deal in Washington last week. With the U.S. government shutdown, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) made her Senate colleagues use this stick during their deliberations as a means...
Why Christians Emulate Jesus, Not Emily Post
Generally, most of us want to be nice - and are deemed nice. We care about people and respect their differences; we seek to be around nice people ourselves. Persons who don't behave nicely in our society create enough...