(OPINION) If you havenāt read Ruth recently, or ever, you should. Itās a classic romance. I should say, itās a romance among other things. Thatās what intrigues me about the Bible, Old Testament and New. Nothing is ever just one thing. It works on a straightforward level, but itās also full of allusions to other biblical passages and buried meanings and, well, thereās no end to it.
Read More(OPINION) There is only one Creator, only one worthy of adoration and worship, only one whose name will be proclaimed throughout eternity. The rest of us are created beings, here for His pleasure and purpose. He is eternal. We are here today and gone tomorrow. He is essential. We are dispensable and disposable. Only God is God.
Read More(OPINION) I want to remind us of what is good about being a Southern Baptist. Thatās why Iāve chosen Hebrews chapter 10, verses 23 and 24, to be the theme verses for this year. And the theme statement will be āHold fast."
Read MoreWhen a legend invites you to the Big House, you go. The story of how our columnist ended up at a Michigan Wolverines game with basketball coach Garth Pleasant, who won 720 games and four small-college national championships.
Read More(OPINION) Can you imagine the level of physical and psychological trauma throughout Lebanon and parts of Syria as thousands of Hezbollah pagers exploded, leaving many Islamic militants injured, hundreds of them critically, and several of them dead? It sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie more than real life, especially at the scale on which it occurred.
Read More(OPINION) As Iāve argued for years, being spiritual on your own isnāt enough. I located a column I wrote in 2015 ā speaking of repeating myself ā that outlined a half-dozen arguments for why believers need to join a congregation of like-minded pilgrims. Hereās a lightly edited version of that.
Read MoreA Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is leaving the Wall Street Journal for the National Catholic Reporter. Why this is a surprise ā and why it's not.
Read More(OPINION) Politics are very important. Politics played a role in the abolition of slavery and segregation and in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Conversely, it was because of a political vote that Hitler came into power, resulting in the deaths of multiplied tens of millions of lives.
Read More(OPINION) Without a doubt, Charles Spurgeon and later Billy Graham were gospel preachers rather than social justice warriors. Yet, both addressed some of the greatest social evils of their day without for a moment diluting their Jesus-centered messages.
Read More(OPINION) For men and women alike, choosing to remain childless used to be a decision frowned upon by the larger culture. Now, childlessness is rapidly becoming our culture. Look, I get it. Yet I donāt get it. Having kids might be only a choice, but itās a choice I canāt imagine having forgone.
Read MoreThe new "Reagan" biopic focuses on Ronald Reagan's role in the Cold War and the fight against Soviet communism. But faith emerges as a major storyline in the 135-minute biopic.
Read More(OPINION) Hulu is releasing a docuseries in September called āSecret Lives of Mormon Wives,ā and Hollywood is releasing a film called āHereticā in mid-November. The Hulu series might attract voyeur types, but Iām hoping that more discriminating viewers will be repulsed by the sensational immorality featured in the program.
Read More(OPINION) During the lengthy pandemic lockdown, I decided to take advantage of all that unforeseen solitude by developing my spiritual life. Among other things, I studied the works of Roman Catholic mystics. One sublime idea they sometimes express is that each of us ā indeed, Godās whole creation ā is one with the Maker of everything.
Read MoreThe new movie "You Gotta Believe," about a youth baseball team's improbable journey all the way to the Little League World Series, offers a fleeting glimpse of faith. But in real life, religion played a more crucial role.
Read More(OPINION) I love a good story about grace. And if the story of Stephanie M. Raglin is about anything, itās surely about grace. She might strike you as the poster child for some elite circle of saints who made the right choices and excelled at them all. But talk to her and youāll quickly encounter another section of her vita.
Read More(OPINION) How do we reconcile a desire to elect people of good character with our support for Trump (and I write this as a two-time voter for Mr. Trump)? Does he, āalthough imperfect, demonstrate consistent honesty, moral purity and the highest characterā? Hardly. How, then, can we justify our vote for him?
Read More(OPINION) We whoāve entered our so-called golden years can recite for you the usual prescriptions for extending our lives and for improving the quality of those lives while weāre here. But thereās something else, less cited, that apparently can add years to our lives: our attitude.
Read MoreThe Baltimore Orioles hosted the team's first Faith Night promotion this week. The Orioles joined a trend of MLB franchises doing so.
Read More(OPINION) The moment I finished listening to the song, I sent him a voice text saying, āThis could be the anthem for this young generation!ā Instantly, the song sounded familiar to me, not like something new that I had to get used to. And the words were easily learned and memorized, to be sung and repeated countless times in the years ahead, as if to say, āGo ahead and call me unpopular. I will wear that title proudly!ā
Read More(OPINION) Iāve got important things I want to tell my grandkids. Iām older. Iāve learned stuff. I could save them lots of problems and disappointments. Some years ago, I decided to write a book Iād call something like, āThings I Want to My Grandkids to Know.ā Iād self-publish it and provide a copy to each of the kids.
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