When does the New Year begin? For Christians observing the church calendar, the new year began Dec. 2, with the start of the Advent season. The liturgical year is an “or-derly way to look at the full scope of Christian…
FAITH DIGEST
Court rejects faith-based prison program. An Iowa prisoner rehabilitation program run by evangelicals oversteps church-state boundaries and should not receive government funds, a federal appeals court has ruled. InnerChange Freedom Initiative runs a program “dominated by Bible study, Christian classes,…
Fair-trade items offer Christmas gifts with a conscience
NEW YORK (ABP)—What's the perfect revenge for the flannel-lined hot-water bottle Aunt Sharon gave you last year? Or the Michael Bolton CD from your brother-in-law? Maybe a toilet. Or an ox. A bag of seeds would work, for that matter….
Reaching the campus, one student at a time
FARMVILLE—It's no secret that one of the goals of Baptist Collegiate Ministries is outreach. At Longwood University we've integrated a new program into our activities hoping to attract new students with a non-threatening medium: videogames. This year we've started hosting…
Churches push Advent Conspiracy to teach real giving
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS)—The Christmas contradiction gives Pastor Rick McKinley a headache. Americans will spend about $475 billion this year on gifts, decorations and parties that many won't even remember next year. They will run themselves ragged—shopping, wrapping and celebrating. And…
BTSR offers class on missional church
RICHMOND—Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond is offering a class next year on the missional church movement, open to both laypersons and clergy. “An Introduction to the Missional Church Movement” is a master of divinity level course and will be held…
Red Letter Days: Christmas gifts with a conscience
NEW YORK (ABP) — What's the perfect revenge for the flannel-lined hot-water bottle Aunt Sharon gave you last Christmas? Or the Michael Bolton CD from your brother-in-law? A toilet. Or an ox. A bag of seeds would work, for that…
Happy New Year? For some Christians, it has already begun
COLUMBIA, Mo. (ABP) — When does the new year begin? For Christians observing the church calendar, it began with the start of Advent on Dec. 2. The traditional Christian season of Advent, which begins four Sundays before Christmas, is to…
With Corzine’s signature, N.J. officially bans death penalty
TRENTON, N.J. (ABP) — Stating his firm opposition to what he called “state-endorsed killing,” New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has signed into law a legislative ban on capital punishment — the nation's first in decades. Shortly before he signed…
Faith leaders reject ‘hateful speech’ while Hispanics leave GOP
NEW YORK (ABP) — Republican presidential candidates appeal to fears over immigration in the primary campaigns at the risk of alienating an important constituency – conservative Hispanics – religious leaders in several early primary states said Dec. 17. In a…
Opinion: Does Christmas matter to the world?
(ABP) — On a recent trip to my hometown, I was surprised to hear some beautiful Russian Orthodox music performed by the “Singing Christmas Tree” in my childhood Southern Baptist church in North Carolina. Perhaps I should clarify this. I…
Mo. Baptist leaders restrict funding for church starts, angering some
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — A decision by Missouri Baptist Convention leaders to cut off funding for certain new church starts has set off a firestorm of protest and further widened a rift among conservative Baptists in the state. The…