It could be that the election of Donald Trump is having an unintended consequence: Driving more Americans to the practice of fasting. It’s already been reported that prayer and worship attendance among mainline Christians are rising since Election Day. So…
Speaker says Genderbread Person highlights need for Christian schools
Editor’s note: This story was edited after posting to correct errors in the second and third paragraphs. The retired head of an organization of Christian schools claimed young children in public schools are being indoctrinated in beliefs such as “transgenderism”…
Hoping for cessation of ‘war on Christmas’ rhetoric? Don’t, historians say
Another season of the so-called “war on Christmas,” especially in the wake of Donald Trump’s election, may be just enough to drive some people over the edge. And all indications are it isn’t going to go away. “There is no…
Former moderate Baptist leader parallels presidential race with SBC holy war
A leader in the moderate resistance to fundamentalist influence in the closing decades of the 20th century says he sees troubling similarities between today’s political climate and the era now commonly referred to as the Conservative Resurgence in the Southern…
Unlike some Christians, Lutherans still all-in on Protestant identity
Many Christians — especially in the United States — are struggling with their Protestant identity these days. Articles and blogs abound on the topic. The religiously unaffiliated don’t resonate with the concept of Christianity defined by a religious revolution sparked in the…
Texas Baptist church opens doors to LGBT community
Another Texas congregation has joined the ranks of moderate and progressive Baptists moving toward full inclusion of LGBT Christians, setting up potential conflict with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, amended bylaws Nov….
Cuban Christians and U.S. missions groups not too worried about post-Fidel era
The Nov. 25 death of Fidel Castro raised questions about the future of communism in Cuba. But Christianity’s future has also become a big question. Catholic and Protestant churches in the island nation have come far since Castro’s 1959 revolution….
Car damages America’s first Baptist church
The nation’s oldest Baptist church sustained damage when an out-of-control automobile came onto church property and crashed into a set of brownstone steps that had been in place for more than 300 years. A car descending a steep hill behind…
Trump picks climate-change denier, Southern Baptist to run the EPA
President-elect Donald Trump has selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt — a climate-change denier and Southern Baptist layman who sits on the board of trustees at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary — to run the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump’s transition team confirmed the…
Transitions for the week of 12.09.16
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly. STAFF CHANGES Vince Blackerby, now serving as director of operations at Mountain Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham, Ala. Bill Booth, to…
To help someone grieving at the holidays, avoid platitudes, experts say
The holidays are especially hard on those mourning the loss of loved ones and friends. And that suffering is often made worse by well-meaning-but-nervous friends who don’t know what to say — or not say — to those who are grieving. “A…
American Baptist leaders recall ‘other side’ of Pearl Harbor
As citizens across the nation mark the 75th anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, American Baptist leaders renewed attention to a lesser-known part of the story they believe offers lessons on racial prejudice still relevant for today. Two months…