ANAHEIM, Calif. (RNS) — Megachurch pastor Rick Warren stood on the mound at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., and delivered his Easter Sunday pitch. “Baseball is a game of numbers in which every player falls short of perfection,” said Warren,…
Spring marks the opening of the ‘Church of Baseball’
ANAHEIM, Calif. (RNS) — Megachurch pastor Rick Warren stood on the mound at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., and delivered his Easter Sunday pitch. “Baseball is a game of numbers in which every player falls short of perfection,” said Warren,…
OPINION: Apollo 13 and the Gospel
April 17 marks the 40th anniversary of the splashdown of Apollo 13. It was a happy ending to a nearly disastrous and tragic mission. It was also a tribute to the bravery of the three-member crew and the ingenuity and…
OPINION: Everything you say about China is true somewhere in China
It was a privilege to visit China recently and follow in the steps of each Baptist World Alliance president since the early 1980s, who has made an official visit. Our gracious hosts, the China Christian Council, have been represented at…
Baptist battles and Christian graces
By David Gushee In late January 2006 my 18-year-old daughter Holly was in a terrible car accident. The most serious consequence was a traumatic brain injury that left her unconscious for three days and unable to speak for two weeks….
Barna: Four in 10 ‘unchurched’ have been hurt by churches
VENTURA, Calif. (ABP) — Nearly four of every 10 "unchurched" Americans avoid worship because of negative past experiences in churches or with church people, according to new research by The Barna Group. The research firm that tracks the role of…
A culture of debt, a culture of thrift: Some Americans alter money attitudes
A growing number of American Christians — and even some secular groups — are beginning to believe John Wesley had the right idea: “Make all you can; save all you can; give all you can.” Hard work, thrift and philanthropy…
Churches wrestle with giving drop
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The number of churches that reported a drop in giving due to the sour economy rose nearly 10 percent last year, according to new survey. In 2009, 38 percent of churches reported a decline in giving, versus…
Black Baptist pastor asks Southern Baptist Convention to repent of racism
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — A prominent African-American Baptist pastor says the Southern Baptist Convention has not kept a promise made in 1995 to "eradicate racism in all its forms from Southern Baptist life and ministry." Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone…