The news stories of what has been happening in Israel and Gaza since Oct. 7 have been difficult to absorb. The horrific loss of life, utter destruction of neighborhoods and the terrifying abduction of civilians of all ages have seemed…
Pastor and peacemaker Bob Roberts has traveled the world, and he has some thoughts on Israel and Palestine
Growing up a Baptist pastor’s kid in East Texas, Bob Roberts found himself in church a lot. That time allowed him to develop a love for the church, eventually landing him at Baylor University and then Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,…
Maybe there are some ‘good guys’ in this war after all
I take it back. There are some “good guys” in the war between Israel and Hamas: The innocent civilians being slaughtered by both sides. Two weeks ago, I wrote a column saying there are no “good guys” in this war…
‘Social media posts never change minds’ — and other lies I love to hate
Note: This article includes significant discussion of profanity. The previous record for most f-bombs and insults aimed at me in an e-message was from a graduate student’s mother who was upset with her adult child’s grade in my class….
Gaza hospital hit by airstrike was run by Baptists for three decades
The Gaza hospital where at least 500 people died in an Oct. 17 blast once was managed by Southern Baptist Convention missionaries. Al-Ahli Hospital has been in operation since 1882 and was founded by the Church Mission Society of the…
‘The moment we allow our hearts to go numb to the deaths of any children is the moment we shut down our humanity’
As someone whose ancestors immigrated to the United States from Lebanon, the faces of children suffering in the war in Israel remind me of my own children. The limp body of a 5-year-old girl being carried through the rubble, and…
Now comes the darkness. Perhaps new hope lies beyond
A week ago, I sat with a Palestinian shopkeeper in a country bordering Israel, drinking tea and watching nonstop Arab TV coverage of Israel’s retaliatory pounding of Gaza. Gazans ran in panic. Rescue workers screamed for ambulances and pulled dust-covered…
Unlike American evangelicals, religious bodies from Quakers to Catholics urge care for Palestinians and Jews alike
As Southern Baptists and other evangelicals rally support for Israel in its retaliatory war with Hamas, they are outliers compared to most other Christian groups in America — from Quakers to Catholics. Other denominations and religious leaders have expressed more…
More violence will not produce peace
I am concerned about the current war in Gaza, Israel and Palestine because I care about life, justice, truth and peace as a follower, ordained minister and pastor of a congregation of people whose faith and living are inspired by…