ALLEN, Texas — When a Connections class at First Baptist Church in Allen, Texas, began meeting in January a year ago, its diverse membership included a self-proclaimed atheist who attended because he had a friend at church, three unmarried cohabiting couples…
What would Niebuhr do? Legacy of preeminent theologian is debated
PRINCETON, N.J. (RNS) — What happens when the contested legacy of America’s most famous 20th-century theologian meets the harsh political realities of the 21st? You end up with questions like whether Reinhold Niebuhr would support water-boarding. It’s impossible to know…
FAITH DIGEST
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…
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…
RIGHT or WRONG? Family moral history
Our older son and his wife are about to deliver our first grandchild. Although this grandbaby won’t be able to read for several years, we would like to compile a moral history of our family. What are your suggestions? I…
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…
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…
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…