In my blog post Trumping Faith I asked the question, “How important is it that elected government leaders not only affirm a faith background, but have one that is deeply meaningful and vibrant?” Today I want to ask, “How can…
What’s in a name? Religious nones and the American religious landscape
Over the last several years the term religious “Nones” has become a major topic of discussion and analysis by those who pay attention to religious trends.
A new day for Cuba
“We don’t have to be imprisoned by the past.” Those were words spoken by President Obama last month when he announced that the U.S. and Cuba are reopening embassies in each other’s countries after more than a half a century…
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…
Are there Bible prophecies about contemporary events?
“Gaza will writhe in agony.” ” Gaza shall be abandoned.” These are two ominous prophecies about Gaza found in the Old Testament (in Zechariah 9:5 and Zephaniah 2:4). Some claim that what has happened in Gaza over the past ten…
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…
Christians shouldn’t be culture’s morality police
“I like your Christ,” said Mahatma Gahndi, “but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” There’s a billboard outside the city limits where I live. The canvas is white and in large black letters,…
Racism and religious persecution: Who’s burning black churches?
Guest commentary by Denise Anderson On June 17, 2015, nine people were shot and killed at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, by a white supremacist. Since then six predominantly black churches across the South have gone up in…
The plight of the Palestinians
As you know from my recent article , this month I made a week’s visit to the country of Israel. My daughter Karen, who is a professor at the University of Arizona, was going to an academic conference in Tel…
In organized Christianity, some people are gone and others are done
Do we need another category to describe people who are either no longer related to organized Christianity or never were? Probably.
Proud/Ashamed of the Southern Baptist Convention
The 2015 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention is scheduled for June 16-17 in Columbus, Ohio. The business will be conducted by Ronnie Floyd, the SBC president whom I recently mentioned. For many years it was a thrill to…
The last time I saw Dallas
I’ll be going to Dallas, Texas next week to represent Smyth & Helwys Publishing at the General Assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). I’m looking forward to it. They’re my people. The upcoming trip has put me in mind…