Some of the very best stories are the true ones. Here are two memoirs and one collection of heroic figures that would be worthy of your time. Booked, Karen Swallow Prior (T.S. Poetry Press) Prior is an English professor, so…
REVIEW: In ‘Star Trek Into Darkness,’ church can find model of apostolic boldness
J.J. Abrams returns with his second take on Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek.” It is clear that Abrams is a student of the series. Much of this film is taken from the lore of the series and the previous films. The…
OPINION: Questions and character, part 2
What do you do when it seems like the bottom has fallen out? How do we move forward in the wake of tragedy both nationally and personally? The only way is to root ourselves deeply in the truth. As I…
VITAL SIGNS: The oxbow lake church
A friend was recently talking about an organization that is struggling to adapt to some very necessary changes. While not a church, the observation she made about their inability to adjust to a changing world rings true for many of…
Study suggests bad World War II experiences led veterans to church
(RNS) — A new study has found that American veterans who had a negative experience serving during World War II attend church more frequently today than those who were less troubled by their service. The study also found that when…
Study suggests WW II experiences led veterans to church
(RNS) — A new study has found that American veterans who had a negative experience serving during World War II attend church more frequently today than those who were less troubled by their service. The study also found that when…
White Baptist led slave church in antebellum South
By Robert Dilday The responses of Christians in the American South toward the institution of slavery and those it enslaved were inconsistent and complex — bequeathing a legacy which continues to complicate racial reconciliation 150 years after emancipation, said the…
Do churches operate on need-to-know?
By Vicki Brown Many churches have cut back the number of business meetings held each year. Some have scaled back publications — particularly mailed-out print versions. Some large churches with communications staff or a department have eliminated them or severely…
Using secrecy to control
By Vicki Brown Baptists follow the congregational form of church governance — every member who wants to can have a say in the way the church and the denomination operate. But how much access does the average church member have…
Social media aids Baptist fact-finders
By Vicki Brown Do people in the pew have any options for finding information if their local church, state organization or national denominational body refuses do divulge it? Not many — but technology and government offer a couple of options….
Religious leaders react to BSA decision
By Jeff Brumley Boy Scouts of America on May 23 decided it will no longer deny membership on the basis of sexual orientation. The new policy, which takes effect in January, is already being met with the expected backlash from…
Okla. twister spawns God’s wrath debate
By Jeff Brumley The monstrous twister had barely finished its deadly work in Moore, Okla., on May 20 when the usual voices of judgment and condemnation began echoing across the Internet. Westboro Baptist Church’s Fred Phelps Jr. tweeted that the…