The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Pope Leo XIV has released his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, a sweeping 42,000‑word document that places the Catholic Church squarely in the center of the global debate over artificial intelligence, human dignity, and the future of social life. Signed on May 15, 2026, and published May 25, the encyclical marks the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum and consciously extends the Church's social teaching into a new technological era. A Warning Against an "Anti‑Human Vision" At the heart of...
How Buddhism honors both motherhood and celibate monks and nuns Buddhist saints are often described as maternally compassionate, with the endless patience of a mother who feeds, cleans and cares for children around the clock. In fact, the Theravada branch of Buddhism holds mothers in such high esteem that two men among the Buddha’s chief disciples, Sariputta and Mogallana, are said to be “like the mother giving birth” and “the nurse raising a child.” Yet in Buddhism, as in some other religions,...
‘The Chosen’ director to Latter-day Saints: Loosen up The director of the indie streaming hit “The Chosen” recently gave Latter-day Saints a bit of tough love when it comes to their worship style and portrayals of Jesus. “I feel like it’s OK for me to say this because, as you know, I’m the honored evangelical mascot of the LDS Church,” filmmaker Dallas Jenkins said in an interview on the podcast “followHIM.” “I would say that there’s such a reverence and there’s such a genuine respect for Christ...
Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd in John 10, contrasting himself with the “hireling.” This familiar King James word is rendered “hired hands” in other translations. Jesus said the hireling is afraid when the predator appears. He runs away and abandons the sheep. Thus the hireling is only interested in a job, not a calling, and doesn’t feel personal accountability. This is the reason evangelical churches don’t talk about “hiring” pastors or staff, but about “calling” them. These ministe...
It’s common for congregations to administer opinion surveys occasionally. But I’ve seen mixed results. Baptist denominational officials report that congregations who take surveys when searching for a new pastor discover members want a 35-year old with a seminary degree. Thus he is educated, not too old, not too young, but just right. A retired minister told me about his displeasure with their new young pastor. “He won’t wear a suit, and he won’t use a pulpit,” he fumed, so there is that. I imagi...
My generation remembers taking trips or experiencing emergencies and looking about for a telephone. Little did we dream one day we’d all have one in our pockets. But is this a positive or a negative thing? One of my colleagues at Judson College always wore ear buds. I asked about this one day and he told me his wife was mobility impaired and he needed to be available to rush home if she needed him. We’ve found it so convenient to keep appointments on a cellphone calendar, or to check news sit...
We think nothing about people being left-handed, other than crime shows teach us to notice these things since the Boston Strangler and Jack the Ripper were lefties. But with ten percent of the population being left-handed, it’s not a major concern to us. But there was a time when being a leftie was seen as a physical abnormality. The French speak of a socially awkward person as “gauche”--the person who doesn’t know which fork to use or the water glass from the finger bowl. The word literal...
We grew up as high school friends and he became a music leader for church congregations. He told me the most embarrassing day was when he mounted the steps to the platform to begin worship, tripped and fell headlong onto the floor. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt, but there are better ways to begin worship. I thought of this lately when a conference speaker told a group of us about a famous pulpiteer from another generation who said as he mounted each stair he would pray, “Fill me. Fill me,” besee...
VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo XIV has formally granted ecclesiastical communion to His Beatitude Patriarch Polis III Nona, the newly elected Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, marking a moment of deep joy for one of the world's oldest Christian communities. The Holy Father conveyed his recognition and fraternal closeness in a warm letter, praising the Patriarch's election and assuring him of continued prayers as he assumes leadership of a Church shaped by apostolic tradition, resilience, and the w...
Since 1952, the first Thursday of May has been designated by the U.S. Congress as The National Day Of Prayer. It is a day when people are asked to turn to God in prayer and the President of The United States of America is required by law to sign a proclamation each year with the hopes of encouraging everybody to pray on The National Day of Prayer. Specifically, 36 U.S. Code § 119 states that, "The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a...
I’ve wanted to revisit my master’s thesis and share the story of an Alabama confederate chaplain and Presbyterian pastor. The name “Petrie” is honored at Auburn University since the chaplain’s son brought football to the college in 1892. A state history periodical gave the go-ahead, so I planned a day at the college archives last fall. What I discovered is that parking is more of an issue than I remember. I turned off College Street onto Magnolia at Toomer’s Corner and spotted a space. When I tu...
The Rev. George Wright, who has led Shades Mountain Baptist Church since August 15, 2021, delivered a surprise announcement Friday, telling church members via video that he is stepping down after not quite five years in the pulpit. Wright, 44, offered no specific reason for his departure, but emphasized that the decision had become clear only in recent weeks and asked the congregation to "please pray like crazy." "Over the past couple of weeks it has become clear to us that our time here at...
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - May 7, 2026 - On this sacred occasion of the National Day of Prayer, the Christian Coalition of Alabama urges every Alabamian - and every American - to pause, reflect, and turn their hearts toward God in prayer. In times like these, when our nation faces deep division, uncertainty, and moral challenges, we are reminded of the enduring truth found in Scripture: that God hears the prayers of His people. The National Day of Prayer is not simply a date on the calendar - it is a...
I’m unsure why her statement never struck me before as it did in preparing for Easter. I used the final of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus in John’s gospel. John especially wanted us to understand the nature of Christ. At Lazarus’ graveside, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who lives and believes in me will never die.” This seems a perplexing word to speak in a graveyard with a corpse nearby. But the mourners in Bethany were about to witness one of Jesus’ most w...
Everyone is betting their life on something! What are you betting your life on? I am betting my life on the fact that Jesus is who he said he is! “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” -Jesus, John 14:6 I am the way. Jesus said this in a conversation with the disciples at the last supper. He had just told the disciples that he must go away. And that they knew the way to where he was going. He was speaking about his arrest later that night and his...
With the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence taking place this Fourth of July, over 475 people ranging from elected officials such as Governor Ron DeSantis, to television producers such as Dallas Jenkins, to athletes such as Rebekah Allick, and pastors such as Franklin Graham will gather in Washington D.C. starting this weekend to read the entire Bible out loud from April 18th through April 25th, 2026. The opening ceremony for "America Reads The Bible" will take place this...
aerogondo2 // Shutterstock Bunny baskets and Seder staples: Alabama's Easter and Passover trends When Easter and Passover arrive, shopping carts transform — filling up with chocolate bunnies, fresh florals, and time-honored holiday staples. This past year, Easter and Passover overlapped, creating one of the busiest and most festive shopping periods of the spring season. Instacart took a look at what customers in Alabama and across the country added to their carts during Easter week (April 14-20,...
As Easter approaches, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued a forceful new video message denouncing antisemitism and calling on Catholics across the country to reject conspiracy theories, scapegoating, and all forms of hatred directed toward Jewish communities. The message, released March 18, is delivered by Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, who chairs the USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty. A Call Rooted in Church Teaching In the video, Archbishop Sample...
The wind in my face was bitterly cold in downtown Dallas a few years ago since the winter weather was yet lingering. My continuing education classes had ended at the seminary in nearby Ft. Worth, so the afternoon was free for some sightseeing. A chill came over me independent of the temperature when I walked onto Dealey Plaza and saw firsthand those sights emblazoned in my memory from childhood: Elm Street, the triple overpass and the sixth-floor window. I thought back to that terrible Friday...
Jim came to see me with a message from the finance committee he chaired. The group met when I was with another group, so I missed their meeting. I’d begun to use cards for Sunday guests that were actually envelopes. The simple message on the envelopes was “Please use my gift as an expression of my love for Christ.” My predecessor schooled the church on a doctrine of the “contemporary” church; namely, no visitors should be asked for money. The argument is that many people thought the church wa...
April 5, 2026 - VATICAN CITY - In his 2026 Easter message, delivered across the Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday Mass, and the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing, Pope Leo XIV offered a sweeping call for peace, unity, and renewed hope in a world he described as "weary from conflict, division, and the slow erosion of human dignity." Speaking to tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square and millions watching around the world, the Pope framed the Resurrection of Christ not only as the central...
Across the Christian world today, believers gather with palm branches in hand, stepping into the most solemn and sacred stretch of the liturgical year. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the seven‑day journey that leads the Church from the jubilant shouts of "Hosanna!" to the quiet awe of the empty tomb. It is a day of contrast-joy and sorrow, triumph and humility, celebration and foreboding. And it is precisely in that tension that the meaning of Holy Week comes alive. The King W...
A newly-called music minister asked for long-range sermon plans. I told him I had none, though once I did. A seminary professor required us to submit a year’s pulpit work. We students did the same kind of thing, beginning with special days like Mother’s Day and Easter and Christmas—we knew what we’d talk about on those days. And then we generally looked for short-term series to fill four or five or six weeks and the like. I continued this practice for a number of years, gathering notes and out...
An old fable tells of a frog who envied his pond friends, the geese, when they prepared to fly south in the winter and escape arctic temperatures. The more he pondered, an idea formed in his head. The frog asked two geese to hold a stick between their beaks. He would clamp onto it with his mouth and thus be transported with them when they departed for sunshine and warmth. This plan worked fine until some geese from another tribe flew near. “Wow! What an idea,” one goose exclaimed. “Who thoug...
In recent years, social media debates and online commentary have raised questions about whether the Salvation Army - one of the world's largest charitable organizations - funds or supports abortion services. The claim has circulated widely, often without context. A review of the organization's official positions and public financial practices shows a clear answer: the Salvation Army does not fund abortion services. Official Position: Opposed to Abortion With Narrow Exceptions The Salvation...
