Too Much Pluribus, Not Enough Unum

by | Oct 24, 2007 | Opinion

I feel so cliche coming home from a visit to Germany with scores of pictures of the magnificent kirches, churches, at the center of every hamlet and city across Deutschland. I was one of the thousands of visitors from around the world each day (except, curiously,...

Flannelgraph frailties

by | Oct 23, 2007 | Opinion

Those of us raised on flannelgraph Christian education recall the essence of most Bible lessons we learned as kids: The Bible character — unless a bad-guy pagan like Goliath or Herod — was good and faithful, and received God’s blessing. Therefore, we should do...

Separation of Church, Government Good for Both

by | Oct 23, 2007 | Opinion

One of the most frustrating things I encounter as a minister is the realization that many if not most Christian people do not appreciate the idea of a separation of church and government. In fact, not only do they not appreciate the idea, many vehemently oppose the...

American Baptist Leaders Blog During Visit to Africa

by | Oct 23, 2007 | Opinion

We arrived in Kinshasa Oct. 17, where there was a decided change in temperature and humidity from Johannesburg. One really begins to understand how big this continent is when you fly it. In the amount of time it takes to fly coast to coast in the U.S., you have...

Drinking is risky business … duh

by | Oct 22, 2007 | Opinion

Folks who love their liquor will have a harder time pretending that drinking alcohol is anything but stupid, according to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune.And you don’t even have to “get stupid” to be stupid.While the media went overboard...