American evangelicals were quick to stand united in support of Israel after Hamas militants savagely attacked the country Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages. But evangelicals differ over whether to show concern for…
A passionate appeal for life vs. death in Gaza
I am the Tuesday designated driver, and this is the fifth and last week. I sit in the waiting room, waiting for my friend to have her radiation therapy treatment administered. The 150-mile roundtrip to Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute…
In Gaza, ceasefire is the necessary moral solution
What we have witnessed in the Holy Land is a catastrophe, and Christians must do our part to end the violence. The terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israelis on Oct. 7 were abominable. This month’s long war in Gaza, which…
If you’re uncertain how to approach Israel and Gaza, start with grief
I’ve known churches that have been on the frontlines of every concern of justice, congregations in which you could well assume nearly everyone is voting for the same candidate at the top of the ticket, churches in which no controversial…
Why aid to Gaza is so slow across the Rafah Crossing and how that could lead to a regional war
Why did it take so long for the border crossing from Egypt into Gaza to be reopened so that relief supplies could enter for the benefit of 2 million people living without water, electricity or fuel? The Rafah Crossing has…
The youngest victims of war
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…