U.S. Catholics vexed at Vatican. Nearly three-quarters of Catholics in the United States believe the Vatican tried to cover up clergy sex abuse, and a majority says Pope Benedict XVI has handled recent reports of past abuse poorly, according to…
Is God trying to send people a message through disasters?
WASHINGTON (RNS) — What do homosexuality, health care reform and British advertising standards all have in common? They’re all things that have angered God, some religious leaders say, and he vented his frustration with the angry fires of Iceland’s Eyjafjalla-jokull…
Seminaries not preparing pastors to minister to disabled, some assert
WACO, Texas (ABP) — An expert in the field of disability ministry says theological seminaries are doing little to prepare ministers to deal with the estimated one in five Americans living with some kind of disability. “There is almost nothing in…
Welcoming people with special needs can mean spiritual, numerical growth
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (ABP) — Churches that do a good job of including members with special needs like autism often reap side benefits of a positive witness to their community and sometimes even numerical growth, says an expert in disability…
FIRST PERSON: Anybody can be a friend
NASHVILLE (ABP) — My 24-year-old son is a certified nursing assistant who provides care for three children — two with intellectual disabilities — four nights a week while their single mother is at work. Bob Allen One “benefit” of such…
Baptists increasingly mark Pentecost with missions, multiculturalism
WASHINGTON (ABP) — While the annual observance of Pentecost is not one that has a long history with many Baptist churches, there’s a natural fit between the holiday’s emphasis on the international nature of the church and the traditional Baptist…
Members of college mission team survive crash in Haiti
HANNIBAL, Mo. (ABP) — Fourteen students and a faculty sponsor from Baptist-affiliated Hannibal-LaGrange College were injured May 16 in a vehicle accident while on a mission trip in Haiti. The students — nine women and five men — were riding…
Flood relief turns to long-term recovery
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Twenty-seven volunteers from First Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., traveled three hours to Nashville in three shifts during the week of May 15-20 for flood relief. They were one of countless groups pitching in as response…
Tennessee flood relief turns to long-term recovery
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Twenty-seven volunteers from First Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., traveled three hours to Nashville in three shifts during the week of May 15-20 for flood relief. They were one of countless groups pitching in as response…
MBU hosts crime prevention workshop
ST. LOUIS — The shooting and death of an Illinois pastor brought Steve Heidke face-to-face with the reality of the vulnerability of most churches and synagogues. That reality birthed training for houses of worship in the St. Louis area and…
Murder in pulpit spurs college to host safety workshop for churches
ST. LOUIS (ABP) — The shooting and death of an Illinois Baptist pastor in the middle of a worship service last year brought Steve Heidke face-to-face with the reality that most houses of worship are vulnerable as "soft targets" for…
Baptist schools’ 2010 commencement speakers share nuggets of wisdom
Hillary Wright of Springfield, Ky., celebrates as she gets her Campbellsville University diploma. (PHOTO: Campbellsville/Ashley Zsedenyi) (ABP) — Spring commencement exercises at most schools around the United States are now complete, and new graduates and their well-wishers heard words of…