WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Obama administration clarified its policy on embryonic stem-cell research April 17, issuing draft guidelines that will expand federal funding for the controversial research but retaining a ban on funding for its most ethically fraught versions. The…
LifeWay study: Protestant pastors divided on global warming
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Protestant pastors are sending mixed messages about the environment and climate change, according to a new study by LifeWay Research. In a survey of 1,002 clergy conducted last October, 47 percent agreed and 47 percent disagreed…
Page ‘concerned’ about Rick Warren’s comments on gay marriage
TAYLORS, S.C. (ABP) — A former president of the Southern Baptist Convention said he is “deeply concerned” about comments by Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren that a recent court decision allowing gay marriage is not part of his agenda….
Protestant pastors divided on global warming
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Protestant pastors are sending mixed messages about the environment and climate change, according to a new survey by LifeWay Research. In a survey of 1,002 clergy last October, 47 percent agreed and 47 percent disagreed with…
Former SBC president ‘concerned’ about Rick Warren’s comments on gay marriage
TAYLORS, S.C. (ABP) — A former president of the Southern Baptist Convention said he is "deeply concerned" about comments by Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren that a recent court decision allowing gay marriage is not part of his agenda….
For churches, a right and wrong way to cut staff
LAKELAND, Fla. (RNS)—As many congregations grapple with declining contributions, some faith communities are following the lead of cash-strapped corporations by laying off employees. But the stakes are higher, congregational leaders say, when you’re putting someone’s spiritual leader out on the…
Economic woes give churches a reason to go green
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Mary Miller used to have trouble getting fellow members of Wilmore United Methodist Church in Kentucky to go green. But as it turns out, a sour economy was an unlikely answer to prayer. As the economy shrank, so did…
For churches, a right and wrong way to cut staff
LAKELAND, Fla. (RNS)—As many congregations grapple with declining contributions, some faith communities are following the lead of cash-strapped corporations by laying off employees. But the stakes are higher, congregational leaders say, when you’re putting someone’s spiritual leader out on the…
Economic woes give churches a reason to go green
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Mary Miller used to have trouble getting fellow members of Wilmore United Methodist Church in Kentucky to go green. But as it turns out, a sour economy was an unlikely answer to prayer. As the economy shrank, so did…
BGAV church offers ‘Soul Food’ in town hit hard by recession
DALTON, Ga. (ABP)—Many lives are unraveling in Dalton, Ga., nicknamed the “Carpet Capital of the World,” in the current recession, creating both challenges and opportunities for churches. The North Georgia city of 33,000 makes nearly 75 percent of America’s floor…
Baptist groups feel recession’s pinch
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP)—Many things divide the Baptist denomination, but one thing all groups share is the challenge of raising money during a recession. Six months into the fiscal year, receipts to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program were running 3.7…
Lecturer says Bible shaped MLK’s ‘beloved community’
ABILENE, Texas (ABP) — The “beloved community” — an ideal that shaped the American civil rights movement — was built upon the Bible, Emmanuel McCall stressed during the annual Maston Lectures at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon School of Theology. McCall, founding…