They gather at dawn at day-labor centers or designated parking lots where contractors hire workers. Some stop on their way to pick up a cheap breakfast taco at a convenience store, buying their meal from an employee earning minimum wage….
Seminary rallies support for gay-marriage ban
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (ABP)—Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary devoted a special chapel service March 28 to rally support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in North Carolina. Keynote speaker Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and…
VA offers to help rural clergy minister to vets
HAMPTON, Va. (ABP)—The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is offering free, one-day workshops—including one in Virginia—for clergy in rural areas on how to minister to needs of veterans in their communities. Six training events are scheduled between April 10 and…
Seminarian expelled after arrest on sex charge
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (ABP)—A Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary student arrested March 17 and charged with sexual assault has been expelled and removed from student housing, officials of the school in Wake Forest, N.C., said March 21. A special chapel service…
When ministers are used by politicians
By David Gushee A leading presidential candidate writes letters to Christian ministers from around the country. He remarks positively on their contribution to society and church and suggests his interest in personal conversation. He invites the ministers to respond to…
Vlog offers deeper connection between pastor, church
LIBERTY, Mo.—When a church consultant recommended to Second Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo., that its senior minister needed an additional venue—other than the pulpit—to connect to its members, the church's media minister pushed Pastor Jason Edwards to consider a video…
Beyond Facebook: Scanning the social media landscape
Facebook has become the social network of choice for the vast majority of people—it's hard to argue with 850 million users around the globe—and it's not likely to disappear any time soon. But some specialists see a growing market for…
Texting donors represent new category of giver
One in 10 Americans have made a charitable donation using the text messaging feature on their mobile phones, according to a newly-released study produced by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and Harvard's Berkman Center for the…
Churches conflicted when it comes to social media
It's not about hunting. It's about farming. That's how bestselling author Ivan Misner, founder of one of the world's largest business networking organizations, describes social networks, which he says attempt to do one thing—cultivate relationships. For church leaders—keen to deepen…