By DANNY MINTON You’ll see it pop up everywhere. It’s on the news every evening and regularly listed in the newspaper. You’ll find it online daily. Press conferences boldly announce the numbers. What is it? It’s the death toll from the COVID-19 virus. The last time I remember seeing a death toll announced daily was during the Vietnam war years.
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By LORETTA FULTON The Rev. Andrew Penns, pastor at Valley View Missionary Baptist Church, grew up in Abilene and was in the last graduating class at Woodson High School. After graduating from Woodson, Penns served in the Army, including time in Vietnam. When he returned to Abilene, he didn’t like the racial environment he saw. So he moved to Austin
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS There is much to be said for simply paying attention. This may be short- or long-term. Since we seem to be unable to control (or even influence) much of what occurs in our lives, we must move on to trying to decipher the meaning of what does occur. For those of us trying to follow God, this
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Pew Research CenterAnna Schiller As the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause deaths and disrupt billions of lives globally, people may turn to religious groups, family, friends, co-workers or other social networks for support. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 14 countries in the summer of 2020 reveals that more Americans than people in other economically developed countries say the outbreak has
Read moreNews ReleaseEvangelical Environmental Network As evangelical Christians called to defend life at every stage, we applaud the executive orders by the Biden administration that fully mobilize the resources and unique capabilities of our government to address the climate and pollution crises at the scope and scale required. These co-related crises touch every aspect of American life, every sector of our
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By LORETTA FULTON In normal times, Thursday, Jan. 28, would be the date for the annual Point in Time survey conducted locally by the West Texas Homeless Network. But 2021, at least in the early months, isn’t “normal times.” The COVID-19 pandemic is still raging, curtailing in-person and face-to-face activities. Due to a change in the way the scaled-down PIT
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By LORETTA FULTON Even seeing it coming didn’t soften the impact of the closing of Connecting Caring Communities for people deeply committed to it. Dec. 31, 2020, marked the end of the neighborhood improvement initiative that got its start in 2001 at Hardin-Simmons University and gained nonprofit status in 2005. CCC was the brainchild of Linda Carleton, who was dean
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Leaning on the bookcase next to my desk stands a Ted Williams #1725 Little League Approved Sears, Roebuck, and Co. 29-inch wooden ash baseball bat. I picked it up at an antique store a few years ago for $20. It’s worth more than what I paid, but that’s not the reason that I purchased it. The bat
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury A Texas automobile driver was “tooling” down a rural highway on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Most motorists had already reached destinations, or maybe decided not to go. He felt alone, not another vehicle in sight on a long stretch of pavement. Suddenly, flashing lights in his rearview mirror were strong indicators that he wasn’t alone.
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Spirit Of Abilene 