By CAROLYN NEWMAN Francis Jane Crosby March 24, 1820-February 12, 1915 Are you aware that Bing Crosby had a famous ancestor, Francis Jane Crosby? Born in 1820, and known as Aunt Fanny, she wrote more than 9,000 hymns, some of which are among the most popular in every Christian denomination. She wrote so many that she was forced to use
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By THE REV. DR. JANICE SIX The Women’s Rights Movement for women’s suffrage celebrated the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, securing women’s place in the voting booth. In the ecclesiastical realm, God had already called women into the pulpit decades earlier— in some branches of the Christian family tree. One mover and shaker of
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By THE REV. MARY GLOVER Many are familiar with the phrase that “it takes a village to raise a child.” I’d suggest the same is true when it comes to raising a priest and I’d like to honor the women – those I never met and those I know – who paved the path toward my own priesthood. Rather than
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By LESLIE STRADER The book of Ruth opens with “a famine in the land” – a stark contrast from the common “once upon a time” prologue that points us to palaces and princesses. Ruth wasn’t royalty, and her story isn’t a fairy tale. Ruth was a stranger in a strange land, widowed without a caretaker in sight in the middle
Read moreIDLE AMERICAN Commentary by Dr. Don Newbury If a union organizer at a convention of robots urges “them” to unite, the rep might learn that “they” already have. Or, so it could appear. So far, robots generally have made us smile, releasing us from performing mundane chores. Now, however, they’re being utilized to “do the dirty work.” I shall opt out
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By DANNY MINTON Unless you have been asleep for the past week, it would be impossible to miss the academic scandal news. Celebrities have been caught lying and buying their children’s way into certain universities. Coaches, school officials, and test administrators have been fired for taking bribes of five and six figures. Some will face huge fines while others will
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International Women’s Day Speech By MOLLY WARREN Hardin-Simmons University Five women are named in Jesus’ earthly lineage. Two were Canaanite; two were Jewish; one was a Moabite. One was a prostitute by trade (Rahab); two were used as prostitutes (Bathsheba & Tamar); one was shunned for false promiscuity accusations (Mary) and one was shunned because of racism (Ruth). All five
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By LORETTA FULTON No matter where Dustin Tatro is, he’s in church. That might be in the sanctuary at St. Paul United Methodist Church, where he is the organist and a deacon. It might be at the scene of an accident as an emergency medical technician and chaplain for MetroCare. Or, it might be in the broadcast studio at KGNZ
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By LORETTA FULTON Tired of the political rhetoric on immigration? How about a new take, actually a very old one? “Jesus, King of Strangers: What the Bible Really Says About Immigration” is the title of a new book by Mark Hamilton, professor at Abilene Christian University’s Graduate School of Theology. In the book, Hamilton argues that, “Reclaiming the biblical language
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Spirit Of Abilene 