NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP)—With the Internet closing in on television as Americans’ main source of national and international news, churches increasingly are viewing social-networking applications like Facebook as ministry tools. “Social networking tools have become an integral part of most people’s…
Baylor regents vote to allow non-Baptists on governing board
DALLAS — The governing body of Baylor University, the world’s largest Baptist academic institution, now may include Christians who are not Baptists. Baylor’s board of regents voted Feb. 11 to amend the university’s bylaws, allowing members who are active in…
Recognize children’s digital proficiency, but be alert to dangers
When it comes to digital communication, children are natives, and their parents are immigrants. And that puts parents at a distinct disadvantage in protecting children from online danger, according to the president of a nonprofit advocacy group devoted to guarding…
Teen website changes lives through laughs and relationship
HARRISON, Ark.—With just the click of a mouse, Doug Hutchcraft and Jon Taylor are pointing teenagers and young adults to Jesus. Desiring to communicate the gospel to a generation that has grown up on the Internet, they have developed a…
Technology unites missionaries, families around the world
Missionary Chad Phillips, who coordinates missionary kids programs for the Assemblies of God, joins missionary kids on a Skype online video chat. (RNS PHOTO/Courtesy Bianca Flokstra) WASHINGTON (RNS)—Janine Winkler loves reading books to her 2-year-old grandson Judah. But instead of…
For relationships, technology a two-edged sword, experts insist
After Jason Krafsky introduced his wife, Kelli, to Facebook, he wasn’t sure how to respond when she told him she had just connected online with her “first love.” “It took me a couple of days to sort through my feelings…
Parsing the president
By David Gushee Here is one Christian ethicist’s grammatical analysis of important lines in last week’s thoughtful State of the Union address by President Obama. Obama: “We believe that in a country where every race and faith and point of…
Morris Ashcraft dies, helped establish Baptist Seminary at Richmond
EVANSTON, Ill. (ABP) — Morris Ashcraft, a longtime seminary professor and administrator who after retiring helped establish Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, died Jan. 29 after a long illness. He was 88. An Arkansas native, Ashcraft taught five years at…
Enshrined in a cathedral’s stone
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Six feet above the vaulted entranceway to Washington National Cathedral, the rough contours of Rosa Parks’ face are taking shape. Using a motorized hammer and chiseling tools that date back centuries, stone carver Sean Callahan is working…