HONG KONG (RNS/ENI) — The Chinese government’s new head of religious affairs has downplayed the role of house churches during his first official visit to Hong Kong, saying they must be registered with the government for their own protection. Wang…
Abuse scandal imperils pope’s drive to reclaim Europe’s Christian heritage
PARIS (RNS) — Days after being elected pope in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI referred to one of Europe’s patron saints, Benedict of Norcia, as he explained his choice of papal name to thousands of pilgrims massed in St. Peter’s Square….
RIGHT or WRONG? Women deacons
Our church is thinking about electing women deacons. But some members claim this is another example of contemporary liberalism taking over our theology. Is this so? Changing a church’s polity always is a challenge. My best advice is to encourage…
Some black church leaders feel jilted by President Obama
WASHINGTON (RNS) — When President Obama was elected, some black pastors — fresh from a campaign that featured extensive outreach to their churches — expected meetings with the president, or at least to be enlisted as informal advisers. For better…
Michigan Hutaree militia a cult, experts say
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (RNS) — When militia expert Jack Kay first ran across a MySpace page for the Michigan-based Hutaree militia six months ago, he thought it was just another group wrapping itself in God and country. But following raids…
Baptist adoption ministry comes full circle for Texas family
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — For Gloria Hernandez Padilla and her daughter, Belinda Perez, the ministry of a Texas Baptist adoption agency has come full circle — with adoptee Hernandez Padilla becoming grandmother to another adopted child. Gloria Hernandez Padilla, one…
Study links religion to racial prejudice
WACO, Texas (ABP) — More than 50 years after Martin Luther King lamented that 11 o'clock Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America, a Baylor University study suggests that religion itself may be a contributing factor in racial…
Study links religion to racial prejudice
WACO, Texas (ABP) — More than 50 years after Martin Luther King Jr. lamented that 11 o'clock Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America, a Baylor University study suggests that religion itself may be a contributing factor in…
Documentary makers warn viewers to ‘Beware of Christians’
DALLAS (ABP) — Will Bakke, director and executive producer of Beware of Christians, recognizes the provocative title of his new documentary will raise some eyebrows. He hopes it also will raise consciousness about what radical commitment to Christ really means….
Christian leader welcomes new limits on use of nuclear weapons
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A leader in what organizers say is a growing movement of American Christians supporting arms control praised new restrictions on the United States' use of nuclear weapons unveiled by President Obama April 6. Obama's nuclear policy…
Black Baptist leaders attend Obama Easter breakfast, voice support
WASHINGTON (ABP) — African-American Baptist leaders were among 90 clergy and other Christian leaders who gathered at the White House April 6 for an Easter prayer breakfast at which President Obama extolled the redemptive nature of Christ’s death and resurrection….
‘Internet Monk’ Michael Spencer dead at 53
ONEIDA, Ky. (ABP) — Michael Spencer, voice behind the popular and sometimes controversial Christian blog Internet Monk, died April 5 after a four-month battle with cancer. Spencer, 53, an ordained Baptist minister who graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in…