By Jeff Brumley When Macon native and Mercer University student Alayna Williams signed up for a cultural exchange trip to Qatar a few months ago, she and the rest of the family decided not to tell dad. “They didn’t tell…
Baylor community offers prayers for Muslim students
By Jeff Brumley Baylor University made clear to its roughly 150 Muslim students during finals week that, whatever rhetoric they hear around the nation, they are welcome and safe at the Baptist institution. More than 400 students, faculty, staff, plus…
Baptists join other Christians opposing Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric
By Jeff Brumley The voices from the right, condemning Islam and fearing Muslims, have gotten noticeably louder in recent days. On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump issued a call to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. On…
Baptists among Christians rising up against Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric
By Jeff Brumley The voices from the right, condemning Islam and fearing Muslims, have gotten noticeably louder in recent days. On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump issued a call to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. On…
Barna: American reading habits shape churches, spiritual development
By Jeff Brumley Publishers and marketers are certainly aware that Americans, thanks to smart phones and tablets, are reading fewer and fewer paper books these days. But pastors and other church leaders need to track those trends as well, the…
Religious leaders urge faithful to action in wake of Calif. mass shootings
By Jeff Brumley Wednesday’s shooting massacre in California was more than tragic news for Julie Pennington-Russell. It was personal. The former pastor of First Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga., Pennington-Russell shared with Facebook friends on Thursday that a relative was…
People of faith explore upside of web: community building
By Jeff Brumley and Bethany Harper There’s a lot about the Internet and social media that’s good for humankind and religion, says Rabbi Joshua Stanton. “It demonstrates the creative potential of human beings and provides evidence that human beings are…
Advent story filled with drama and stress, says minister
By Jeff Brumley Many who observe Advent struggle finding balance between its call for quiet joy and anticipation in a culture exploding with revelry and unbridled consumerism. That tension is one of the reasons ministers of formation have jobs. But…
Online hymn collection aims to comfort those grieving after events like Paris attacks
By Jeff Brumley Those still in shock from last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris and other places should try joining others in song, Deborah Carlton Loftis says. Ditto, she adds, for those grieving the sudden death of a church member,…