“To impugn our motives (that we are selling out the Bible for the pottage of popularity), to reduce our concerns about love and justice to sentimentality, to dismiss us with the ‘L’ word and a questionable narrative surrounding it, and…
Tennessee amends anti-Shariah bill
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Tennessee lawmakers are rewriting a bill that described Islamic law as a threat to U.S. security and seemed to equate peaceful Muslim practices with terrorism. State Sen. Bill Ketron and House Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny,…
Christians question conventional wisdom on divorce stats
It’s been proclaimed from pulpits and blogs for years-Christians divorce as much as everyone else in America. But some scholars and family activists are questioning the oft-cited statistics, saying Christians who attend church regularly are more likely to remain wed….
Controversial Florida pastor presides at burning of Quran
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (RNS) — The controversial Florida pastor who halted plans to burn a Quran on the 9/11 anniversary last year oversaw the burning of the Islamic holy book March 20 after it was found “guilty” during a “trial” at…
DC convention elects executive director in divided vote
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Ricky Creech, once a Southern Baptist missionary and associational director of missions and more recently on the staff of a Georgia United Methodist church, was elected in a close vote March 28 to be executive director of…
BOOK REVIEW: Bonhoeffer’s questions ring true for 21st century Christians
What Would Bonhoeffer Say? By Al Staggs (Parson’s Porch Books) Al Staggs is an itinerant performance artist who has been dramatically interpreting Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Walter Rauschenbusch, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Clarence Jordan and Thomas Merton for decades. He’s a theologian who,…
U.S. colleges adding Muslim chaplains
ITHACA, N.Y. (RNS) — When Jainal Bhuiyan attended Cornell University, he and his fellow Muslim students were mentored and led in religious prayers by a collection of Muslim professors, graduate students and staff. “That was our network that filled the…
Churches need social networking policies
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — Social networking tools using the Internet through computers and smart phones are powerful aids for communicating, but churches should have policies in place governing their use before problems arise, a computer programmer advised in a breakout…
Couple fights ‘choking game’ tragedy
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — A dangerous thrill-seeking practice commonly called "the choking game" is claiming hundreds of teenage lives as it crosses the line from dangerous to deadly. No one knows how many children die from practicing this "game," which…