ATLANTA (RNS) — Christian recording artist TobyMac’s blend of rap, hip-hop, rock and soul raced up the charts last year and shattered many stereotypes along the way. “Toby blows everybody’s perception of what Christian or gospel music is because Toby…
Christmas at Bluefield features community orchestra in two performances
BLUEFIELD, Va. — More than 130 singers from three Bluefield College voice ensembles and six local church choirs, along with 25 instrumentalists in BC’s Community Orchestra combined to perform the season’s most “amazing,” “moving” and “inspiring” Christmas production, Dec. 1…
Baptist church sign draws attention of Manhattan pedestrians, media
(ABP) — “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” Thus read the sign recently in front of Madison Avenue Baptist Church, a New York City congregation whose pastor is all about convincing folks not…
How should churches view holiday-only visitors? Leaders try a variety of methods to stay in contact
Many churches roll out the red carpet for CEOs they expect to see just twice a year — Christmas and Easter Only worshippers. But others wonder, “If we treat CEOs like VIPs, why are they AWOL most of the time?”…
Secession theology runs deep in American religious, political history
WASHINGTON (RNS )— Corruption has gone too far. The righteous must break away. Hope now rests with a holy remnant that will honor foundational texts. The message sounds familiar. A church schism? No, mounting calls for secession from the United…
Video recalls ‘forgotten’ Pearl Harbor
(ABP) — President Franklin Roosevelt’s description of the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack as “a date which will live in infamy” went down in history, but Yosh Nakagawa remembers another day – Feb. 19, 1942. That’s when FDR, in an…
OUT LOUD
“If our Christmas is going to be all about getting upset at people trying to take away Christmas, isn’t that silly too?” Jonathan Morris The Catholic priest was speaking on “Fox & Friends” about the “war on Christmas.” (RNS) “What…
OPINION: A focus on ‘followship’?
People emphasize “leadership” so much, it has become a buzzword. Isn’t it past time we focus on “followship”? I recently read Colin Powell’s book, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership. Most of Powell’s observations are better suited to…
NATIONAL BRIEFS
Commission wants clarifications from IRS. A commission created by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability called for clearer IRS guidance and greater involvement among donors to address ministries and other nonprofits that are not being financially accountable. Its 91-page…
Fasting like an Old Testament prophet gains followers during Lent
(RNS) — Amy Lester has followed Jesus for decades, but her keen appreciation for his sacrifice on the cross came only recently when she started eating like the prophet Daniel. During Lent, which starts Feb. 13, the 40-year-old mother of…
OPINION: All clergy abuse cover-ups not the same
From one religious body to another, there’s a horrible sameness about the sexual abuse of children by those charged with their moral and spiritual development. The differences come in the institutions and communities, and how they deal with the abusers…
New front in abortion culture wars
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Standing before the throngs at the March for Life on Jan. 25, Ryan Bomberger admitted that he was the poster child for one of the most difficult aspects of the abortion debate: his mother had been raped….