The first time Bruce Holliday walked into Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., he carried doubts about just about anything having to do with institutional religion. But he was stunned to find that co-pastors Russ and Amy Jacks Dean,…
In-person worship dropped in January as more churches were directly affected by COVID
Concerns about spiking COVID-19 cases led to a rise in the number of U.S. churches canceling in-person gatherings in January, a new Lifeway Research study shows. Meanwhile, the new research offers some of the most detailed data yet about how…
Final vote sounds the death knell for capital punishment in Virginia
Legislation abolishing Virginia’s death penalty received final approval from legislators Feb. 22 and is on its way to Gov. Ralph Northam, who has pledged to sign it. When he does, the Commonwealth will become the 23rd state to end capital…
Making the case for why Black History Month is necessary
Black History Month has its critics, but Chalice Overy isn’t one of them. Overy, associate pastor at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., said the focus on Black heroes and accomplishments every February growing up prepared her for being…
Pay attention to what’s happening in Myanmar, Baptist pastors plead
Current and former refugees from Myanmar welcome the political pressure bearing down on the nation’s military since it staged a coup against a democratically elected government Feb. 1. But much more pressure is needed, they say. “I am very disturbed…
On religious liberty views and other issues, there’s still a wide gap between evangelicals and the rest of America
If recent surveys of religious beliefs and practices have revealed anything, it’s that white evangelicals are out of step with the rest of the nation on just about every social and political measure. “White evangelicals are just on another planet,…
Church leadership series offers help finding resilience required to navigate change
Church leaders in denial that change is inevitable got a wakeup call during the coronavirus outbreak. “The pandemic has made it so that now everybody is paying attention” to change, said Tod Bolsinger, executive director of the Fuller Depree Center’s…
At Baptist college in Virginia, a disagreement over athletes kneeling during National Anthem
Bluefield College, a Baptist-affiliated school in Virginia, suspended its men’s basketball team for one game this month after players failed to heed administration warnings against kneeling during the National Anthem to protest racial injustice. Media reports and statements from the…
Majority of Americans believe race relations have worsened in last four years
Most Americans say race relations took a significant hit during the past four years, and almost a quarter believe clergy have failed to exert a positive influence on the trend, new research shows. “Fewer Americans believe our nation has made…