WASHINGTON (RNS) — Members of a new White House advisory council have mapped out plans to link government and religious groups, from interfaith service projects to regional town halls on fatherhood. Eboo Patel, founder of Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core, said…
Pastor: National Guard, hospitals were prepared for church-bus crash
SHREVEPORT, La. (ABP) — Both a National Guard unit that responded at the scene of a July 12 church-bus accident and the hospital where most of the victims were taken had recently received training for situations similar to what actually…
Leland Center moves into Baptist World Alliance building
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — A Baptist seminary serving students in the region of the nation’s capital has moved in with an organization that serves as Baptists’ international umbrella group. The John Leland Center for Theological Studies has moved its…
Anti-gay church says God hates the world
TOPEKA, Kan. (ABP) — An independent Baptist church best known for picketing military funerals with placards proclaiming “God hates fags” and “God hates America” is going global. Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. — whose 75-member congregation is composed almost…
Researcher says hypocrisy not biggest obstacle to evangelism
A former seminary professor, Thom Rainer has led LifeWay Christian Resources since 2006. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — People who don’t attend church are not too bothered by what they view as hypocrisy in the church, but there are some…
Leland Center moves into Baptist World Alliance building
FALLS CHURCH — Baptists’ presence in this Northern Virginia suburb just got bigger. The John Leland Center for Theological Studies has moved its main campus from Arlington to Falls Church, where it is leasing two floors in the Baptist World…
Longtime denominational worker Ernest Mosley dies
GASTONIA, N.C. (ABP) — Ernest Mosley, a longtime denominational worker who served the Southern Baptist Convention during a tumultuous period when two factions vied for control of nation’s second-largest faith group, died July 8 after a nearly year-long battle with…
Pastor’s accused killer faces mental evaluation
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (ABP) — A man accused of gunning down an Illinois Baptist pastor in the middle of a worship service last March will undergo court-ordered testing to determine whether he is competent to stand trial. His booking photo from…
Religious people make better citizens, but youth are increasingly secular
WASHINGTON (RNS) — First, the silver lining: people of faith are better citizens and better neighbors, and America is “amazingly” religious compared to other countries, Harvard University professor Robert Putnam said. Now, the cloud: young Americans are “vastly more secular”…
From the Eastern Shore to Cumberland Gap
STAFF CHANGES • Michael Dyer, to Fairview Church, Martinsville, as pastor. • Mike Morrison, to Middle Cross Church, Blue Ridge Association, as its first pastor. • Bill Alphin, to Westhunt Church, Richmond, as interim pastor. • Greg Sink, resigning as…
Financial management grads cite spiritual, as well as financial, gains
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Completing an in-depth study of biblical financial management not only dramatically improves a person’s financial position, but it also benefits their walk with Christ, family relationships and contribution to church life, according to research recently conducted…
Those in need find assistance at churches’ Saturday Free Market
RICHMOND — A crowd gathers on Saturdays before the doors open at 10 a.m., eagerly anticipating what will be found on the tables and racks inside. Some waiting outside will immediately head for the clothing department. Others are hopeful to…