by Mike Parnell | May 9, 2002 | Opinion
The story goes that when Stan Lee wanted to produce the Spider-Man comic, the powers that be at Marvel Comics did not find a geeky teenager with superpowers enticing. Yet Lee, along with co-creator and artist Steve Ditko, managed to get the story in a fantasy comic...
by Ray Furr | May 9, 2002 | Opinion
Most U.S. churches require backgrounds checks on clergy, but few screen volunteers. Seventy-two percent of churches require written applications from prospective staffers, and 26 percent of churches screen volunteers, according to a trend-tracking survey conducted by...
by Barry Howard | May 9, 2002 | Opinion
“Sin” is a big word, much bigger than most of our small notions about it. Sin has been described as “giving in to temptation,” “missing the mark” and “trespassing against God or other human beings.” The Bible has a lot...
by Karen Zurheide | May 8, 2002 | Opinion
About 10 years ago, my then-four-year-old daughter voiced an unusual bedtime prayer. With the kind of sincerity heard only in a young child, she asked God to “let the poor have everything we have.” This prayer caught me off guard. To be sure, I was...
by Eddie Hammett | May 8, 2002 | Opinion
All kinds of churches have “power people”—members who, by many accounts, prevent the church from moving forward. The power people are often deacons and their families. They might be long-time church members, even charter members. But they inhibit church...
by Ray Furr | May 7, 2002 | Opinion
There’s no shortage of students entering seminaries, but denominational leaders are scratching their heads and asking why there’s a growing shortage of pastors. In 2000, the total enrollment in 225 seminaries accredited by the Association of Theological...
