A public-interest law firm specializing in cases involving disputes about religious expression has selected a humanist group attempting to prevent Colorado schoolchildren from being asked to put together Christmas gift boxes sponsored by an evangelical charity as winner of a…
Historic opponents of Christmas, Protestants expect big turnout Dec. 25
From papal fallacy to cherished holiday, Christmas has come a long way in the eyes of American Protestants. Earlier this month, LifeWay Research announced that the vast majority of Protestant pastors say their churches will worship on Christmas morning this…
Virgin Birth debate interrupts regular ‘War on Christmas’ program
The other war on Christmas — not the one over saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” — broke into a skirmish after a well-known evangelical preacher suggested he doesn’t have a problem with people who doubt the Virgin Birth. Andy Stanley,…
Prayerful waiting can endure long lines, traffic jams and even Trump, minister says
Alaina Kleinbeck offers a very simple and practical solution for Americans yearning for a speedy end to the next presidential term — before it’s even begun. Just wait. Kleinbeck said she doesn’t mean the twiddling your thumbs or flipping through a…
Sale of Baptist church benefits local charities
Three nonprofits in Pueblo, Colo., received an early Christmas gift from an American Baptist church that closed its doors in April after ministering in the community for nearly 150 years. Leaders of the American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains…
SBC leader taking heat for anti-Trump rhetoric
A Southern Baptist Convention official criticized as going over the top in his criticism of presidential candidate Donald Trump and his evangelical supporters now says it’s time to move beyond election-year differences and celebrate Christmas together as one “denominational family.”…
Missionaries discover different Christmas traditions around the world
Significant challenges emerge as missionaries adjust to life in new countries. Building relationships, perhaps learning new languages and learning cultural traditions are among the challenges. Even Christmas can bring new experiences. Depending on the location, “dreaming of a white Christmas”…
Religious freedom bill gets Christmas upgrade
President Barack Obama signed a bill Dec. 16 updating a law passed in 2008 to promote religious freedom as an interest of United States foreign policy. The Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act passed both houses of Congress in…
Southern Baptist leaders defend Trump’s pick to lead EPA
Four dozen Southern Baptist leaders voiced support for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, under scrutiny for his views on climate change, in an open letter Dec. 16. The current and 12 past Southern Baptist Convention presidents,…
Interfaith events expand in wake of 2016 election
It’s getting real in a whole new way for Americans involved in local, regional and national interfaith movements. Donald Trump’s election is seeing to that. Religious folk who thought they had an uphill battle against sporadic prejudice, here and there,…
On fourth anniversary of massacre, the slaughter at Newtown remains constant memory
At memorial services for the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School, it is common for a bell to toll 26 times — once for each of the 20 children and six teachers who died beneath Adam Lanza’s withering onslaught four…
Religious Right criticizes Trump’s secretary of state
Conservative white evangelicals credited with helping to elect Donald Trump as president oppose his pick for secretary of state not because of his cozy ties with Russia but for his role in leading the Boy Scouts of America to drop…