That which we give makes us richer, that which is hoarded is lost. ~Shota Rustaveli, 12th Century Georgian poet Boredom was on the faces of the university students as they, their professor, a pastor and I waited in the stuffy…
Joining Muslim and Christian hearts and hands
“Tell me,” she asked, “what is the essence of your religion?” “Loving God and loving one another, “ I replied. “And we demonstrate our love for God and neighbor by working to assure dignity, equality, freedom and justice for all,”…
Learning to pray from our Muslim sisters
“Do you think its is difficult to pray five times a day,” Jilda asked? “Yes. I think it is difficult,” was my answer. “It is not difficult,” she responded. “I love God. It is not hard.” Each visit with Jilda…
Heroes in Farmersville Muslim cemetery fuss: Religious-liberty-lovin’ Baptists
I initially wasn’t exceedingly jazzed about the idea of writing today’s Farmersville editorial, which is pegged to tonight’s forum in the rural Collin County community about plans for a Muslim cemetery just west of town. It’s a juicy story no…
Muslims, a cemetery & Baptist principles
A proposed cemetery in Texas may be causing old-time Baptists to roll in their graves. Muslims want to develop a cemetery in Farmersville, a still-rural village in eastern Collin County, about 35 miles northeast of downtown Dallas. Some locals-Baptists among…
Dear Mr. Graham, Let me introduce you to some friends
Dear Mr. Graham, I’d like to introduce you to some friends of mine. The first friend is Golnaz. Golnaz is a bright and beautiful young woman from Iran. My husband first met her while working on a project at Harvard…
The ISIS crisis
The capacity of ISIS to enthrall and recruit youth and young adults from Western democratic countries has left many baffled. It is such a counterpoint to the spirit of the mass demonstrations that characterized the Arab Spring, which now seems…
Adventures in missing the point
It’s once again graduation season. And what does graduation season mean? No more school! No more books! No more teachers’ dirty looks … well, scratch that last part. As Alice Cooper sang in his 1972 single, “School’s out for the…
Religions converge at Mercer’s new interfaith prayer garden
By Jeff Brumley Those dismissive of interfaith ministry and outreach as purely symbolic efforts may have reconsidered during a prayer garden dedication at Mercer University on Thursday. Scores gathered on a shady corner of the school’s Atlanta campus to celebrate…
Getting the enemy all wrong
Last week the White House took action against the various violent attacks happening all over the world in recent months by hosting a Summit on Countering Violent Extremism. While it is perhaps laudable that this White House stands opposed to…
A long line of sinners
March 2, 2015 By Terry Austin In the Central African Republic, a political/religious faction known as Anti-balaka has been accused of violent crimes. Their actions include gruesome mutilations, forcing thousands of people from their homes and killing an untold number….
Beating back ISIS
By Martin Accad Every few days, we seem to wake up to another massacre committed by ISIS. And these are, of course, only the ones that the media reports. ISIS, in reality, is committing massacres on a daily basis. We…