Airline apologizes to Orthodox Jews. Alaska Airlines issued an apology for misinterpreting the devotional behavior of three Orthodox Jewish men on a flight from Mexico City to Los Angeles. The men had strapped on tefillin—black leather bindings and boxes worn…
RIGHT or WRONG?
Candidates broke records for campaign spending last fall. This seems like a terrific waste of money, especially all the attack ads. If you could take all that money and channel it to gospel causes, how would you spend it? Look…
Small groups crucial, but not cure-all
Establishing small groups within a large church — heralded by some as a remedy to the drawbacks of burgeoning congregation size — is “good medicine,” but not a cure-all, according to a national study by Baylor University sociologists. “Simply having…
OPINION: Finding a Bible that fits
I wandered into the Bible section at a Borders' going-out-of-business sale and thought, "I need more choices." Fortunately, the publishers are looking out for me. On Ash Wednesday, new translations of the New International Version (the most popular evangelical version)…
New IMB chief insists he has ‘no intention of being an interim’
DALLAS — International Mission Board trustees elected as president of the missions agency Tom Elliff — a 67-year-old longtime Oklahoma pastor, one-time missionary and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention. And despite his age, Elliff insists he has "no…
Baptist leader says 3/11 will be Japan’s 9/11
ATLANTA (ABP) — A Japanese Baptist leader predicted the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster would leave its mark on Japan the same way that America was changed after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. "3/11 will be etched on our…
D.C. convention delays vote on exec
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Executive Board members of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention delayed a vote on affirming the nomination of executive director candidate Ricky Creech March 14 because several of them had not received adequate information prior to the…
A former Catholic returns to Ash Wednesday Mass
By David Gushee Last Wednesday, I attended my first Ash Wednesday Mass since…. Well, actually, though I grew up Catholic, I have no memory of ever having attended an Ash Wednesday service. While these days I feel more happily Baptist…
Do Christian athletes strike out on big-dollar contracts?
ST. LOUIS (RNS) — As contract talks broke down between Albert Pujols and the Cardinals, St. Louis baseball fans nervously began asking themselves a host of questions. He’s a Cardinal for life, right? He wouldn’t go to Wrigley Field, because…
FAITH DIGEST
Views on homosexuality bar foster couple. Two judges in England banned a Christian couple from foster care because they oppose homosexuality — a stance the judges said has no place in the laws of Britain. Owen and Eunice Johns, of…
Reciprocity or dependency?
Relationship is the heart of mission involvement, and the form that relationship takes determines whether believers minister “with” or “to” others, missiologists insist. Today, they add, relationship translates as partnership, collaboration and reciprocity. Access to safe drinking water means healthier…
Some foreign aid helps, others do more harm than good, experts assert
Even though the Green Bay Packers won this year’s Super Bowl 31-25, up to 100,000 individuals in developing countries are wearing new T-shirts erroneously labeling the losing Pittsburgh Steelers as NFL champions. For marketing purposes, the NFL preprinted memorabilia for…