Evangelical scientist nominated to head national agency. Francis Collins, the researcher who mapped the human genome and navigated clashes between his Christian faith and science, has been nominated by President Obama to lead the National Institutes of Health. An atheist who converted to Christianity in his 20s, Collins regularly pushes Christians to reconcile their beliefs with scientific theories such as evolution. He recently launched the BioLogos Foundation, which “emphasizes the compatibility of Christian faith with scientific discoveries.” Collins directed the National Human Genome Research Institute from 1993 until 2008. In 2006, Collins authored the New York Times-bestselling The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. Some evangelicals have expressed concern about Collins’ positions on embryonic stem cell research and cloning.
One relief group closes, another cuts staff. International Aid, a Michigan-based Christian relief group, has closed its doors amid financial struggles, and World Vision, one of the largest evangelical relief agencies, has eliminated about 75 positions. International Aid has offered health and humanitarian support worldwide since 1980. Meanwhile, about 50 members of World Vision’s 1,200-member staff were laid off and about 25 open positions will not be filled. Among other cost-cutting measures, World Vision is canceling merit raises for the second year in a row and increasing employees’ premiums for health benefits.
Conservative Presbyterians post first-ever decline. The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) lost members last year for the first time in its 37-year history, according to a new report from the denomination. The PCA, a theologically and socially conservative evangelical denomination, saw membership decline from 345,582 in 2007 to 340,852 in 2008. The group wasn’t alone. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a more liberal mainline denomination with 2.1 million members, reported a loss of 69,000 members in 2008 — the most since the denomination’s founding in 1983.
Security group forms church violence task force. The world’s largest security training organization has opened a church-security division due to a rise in crimes against faith-based organizations. ASIS International’s new church-security division will lead a seminar at its convention in Anaheim, Calif., to address threats and vulnerabilities that leave faith-based organizations at risk for violence. ASIS plans to release a free resource guide for churches in August that pools resources from other security task forces. The guide will urge faith-based organizations to form safety teams, assess risks of high-profile attendees and outspoken religious leaders, and be honest with members about potential dangers in their congregations. A separate organization, the Christian Security Network, which tracks violence against churches, recently reported six of the 17 violent crimes reported by Christian churches in the first half of 2009 resulted in homicides. The report also claims faith-based organizations suffered $6.3 million in property loss due to burglary, theft, robbery, arson and vandalism.
Compiled from Religion News Service