AUSTIN (ABP) — Facing a budget deficit, Texas lawmakers are considering eliminating all professional prison chaplains, a move that could affect the way volunteers from churches minister in that arena. With Texas facing a $15 billion budget shortfall, the Texas…
TV jamming in Middle East affects Christian network
NICOSIA, Cyprus (ABP) – A satellite television network for, and run by, Christians in the Middle East said Feb. 24 that programming thought to have been blocked by Libya has been restored. Officials at SAT-7, a network targeted to minority…
To help in Middle East: Encourage U.S. to advocate for values
NORMAN, Okla. (ABP) — As the Middle East writhes in birth pains to deliver something yet undefined, a scholar who specializes in faith and global politics says Christians in America can support the progress toward freedom by encouraging their own…
Most Americans support upcoming congressional probe of Muslims
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Americans haven’t heard much about congressional hearings on the radicalization of U.S. Muslims, but more than half think it’s a good idea, and nearly as many believe Muslims here haven’t done enough to fight extremists in their…
RIGHT OR WRONG? Is any career choice a calling?
{mosimage}I knew I wanted to become a lawyer in middle school and always felt it was a calling. That sense has not changed despite attempts to denigrate my profession. Who hasn’t heard the lawyer jokes like, “The reason sharks do…
Do religious people make easy targets for scams?
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Major frauds exposed by federal investigators in recent years have targeted Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baptists and other religious groups, from $190 million lost in a three-year scam promoted by a Christian radio host in Minnesota to an estimated $1.4…
FAITH DIGEST
No competition for donations. Houses of worship and other charities often aren’t in competition for dollars but instead tend to reap donations from similar donors, a new study shows. Slightly more than 50 percent of people who financially supported congregations…
No black and white answers to lack of diversity among atheists
DALLAS (RNS) — Alix Jules is an atheist, but for years he felt uncomfortable at gatherings of nonbelievers. The reason: He’s black. “I got really tired of going back and forth to free-thought events and being the only black person…
SBC leadership group declines moving to biennial meetings
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) – The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has recommended against changing from an annual meeting to holding its convention every other year. Responding to a motion from last summer's convention to move from an annual to biennial…
Committee opts not to oust Alliance churches
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) –Membership in a group that welcomes and affirms gays does not automatically disqualify a church from participation in the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBC Executive Committee decided Feb. 22. Two years ago the convention expelled a Texas…
SBC Executive Committee proposes funding cut
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention will ask messengers at this year's annual meeting to reduce its own share of the Cooperative Program unified budget by two-tenths of a percent in the first step…
SBC Executive Committee inaugurates new leader
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention gathered Feb. 21 to witness a new chapter in denominational life with the inauguration of Frank Page as president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. Southern Baptist Convention leaders…