WASHINGTON (RNS) — In addition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Obama administration is fighting on another front — a domestic war of words over how to describe the threat posed by militant Islamic terrorism. Earlier this spring,…
Is the Tea Party unbiblical? It all depends on your perspective
WASHINGTON (RNS) — When conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck warned church-goers to “run as fast as you can” if their pastors preach about “social justice,” was he also encouraging them to run from the Bible? That’s what some progressive Christian leaders…
FAITH DIGEST
Study reveals Amish growth. A new study says the population of North American Amish has increased nearly 10 percent in the past two years, causing many communities to turn westward in search of new land. Conducted by the Young Center…
RIGHT or WRONG? Cremation
Our family cannot decide whether cremation is biblically acceptable. Can you provide some biblical reference points or standards? Cremation is an increasingly popular alternative to burial. Since it isn’t a traditional Christian form, believers can struggle with its biblical acceptability….
Texas Baptists eliminate 13 staff positions, reduce some to part-time
DALLAS (ABP) — Six Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board employees are losing their jobs, seven unfilled posts are being eliminated and a dozen positions are being reduced from full-time to part-time due to the state convention’s current financial…
Hymn Society honors three Baptists for lifetime contributions to music
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — A group dedicated to hymnology and hymnody in North America has honored three Baptist musicians for their lifetime achievements in the field of church music. The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada named David…
ANALYSIS: BWA leaders see future of increasing diversity, emphases on justice and development
HONOLULU (ABP) — The Baptist World Alliance’s first global congress since its 2005 centennial and last year’s 400th anniversary of the beginning of the Baptist movement revealed an ever-more-diverse global fellowship poised to tackle injustice and poverty in some of…
Baptists react to marriage ruling, but religious freedom not impacted
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal judge’s Aug. 4 ruling declaring unconstitutional a California ban on same-sex marriage is either disastrous or a monumental step forward, depending on which Baptist leader you ask. But, according to church-state experts, it doesn’t directly…
Ground Zero controversy part of rise in anti-Islamic sentiment, experts say
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The most recent prominent spat in the United States over building a new Islamic facility — the so-called “Ground Zero mosque” in New York — is indicative of a broader movement that is becoming increasingly suspicious of…
Novelist Anne Rice: Committed to Christ but leaving Christianity
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Former vampire novelist Anne Rice says she’s leaving Christianity again because she no longer wants to be identified with such a “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.” Anne Rice Born and raised a Catholic, Rice left…
What kind of Baptist are you?
By David Gushee My last column was filed from Australia, and this one is inspired by a question I often received when first meeting Baptists in Sydney. The question was: “What kind of Baptist are you?” Which meant: “What branch…
Longtime mission leader Avery Willis dies
BELLA VISTA, Ark. (ABP) — Avery Willis, a former Southern Baptist missionary and administrator best known as developer of the MasterLife discipleship materials used around the world, died July 30, nearly eight months after being diagnosed with a rare form of…