Long before Thomas Wolfe wrote You Can't Go Home Again, Jesus of Nazareth stood in his hometown synagogue and said, “A prophet is never welcomed in his hometown.” Both of these statements make sense. To be able to speak prophetically…
Celebrities recall brushes with Graham in ‘Billy & Me’
(RNS) — Evangelist Billy Graham has rubbed elbows with celebrities ranging from presidents to journalists to musicians. In Billy Graham & Me, a new book in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul’’ franchise that was released Feb. 12, 101 people…
Study says faith, science not at odds
(ABP) — An MIT study published Feb. 12 in honor of naturalist Charles Darwin’s 204th birthday suggests the gap between faith and scientific beliefs is not as large as most people think, and that part of the controversy might be…
D.C.’s George Washington University celebrates Baptist roots during annual Founder’s Day
WASHINGTON — George Washington University’s Baptist origins were celebrated Feb. 8-9 as representatives from the 191-year-old school, student Baptist ministries, and the District of Columbia Baptist Convention and its affiliated churches gathered for GW’s second annual Founder’s Day. George Washington…
CBF nominee ponders future
By Bob Allen A woman nominated to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s top leadership post says her extensive background in lobbying and public policy would bolster the Fellowship’s holistic missions strategy of targeting critical needs among the world’s most neglected peoples….
Church sponsors handgun class
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist church in Texas is offering a concealed handgun license class March 2 as a community service. “This is an opportunity to meet a real need in our county,” Brad Foster, pastor of Calvary Baptist…
New front in abortion culture wars
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Standing before the throngs at the March for Life on Jan. 25, Ryan Bomberger admitted that he was the poster child for one of the most difficult aspects of the abortion debate: his mother had been raped….
Baptist church sign draws attention in Manhattan
(ABP) — “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” Thus read the sign recently in front of Madison Avenue Baptist Church, a New York City congregation whose pastor is all about convincing folks not…
Africa rises, China falls on 2013 evaluation of Christian persecution
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The persecution of Christians “vastly rose” in 2012 as radical Islamists consolidated power in Africa, according to Open Doors, a Christian missionary organization that publishes an annual list of offending nations. Increasing threats to African Christians can…
Student ministry leader Louie Giglio to pray at inauguration
(ABP) — A Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary graduate, whose student ministry at Baylor University exploded into the Passion Movement encountering millions of students and young adults, will deliver the benediction at President Obama’s inaugural swearing-in ceremony Jan. 21. The Presidential…
NATIONAL BRIEFS
Church of England rejects female bishops. Many of the 470 members of the Church of England’s three-tiered General Synod—bishops, clergy and laity—were stunned when the House of Laity couldn’t garner a two-thirds majority in favor of women bishops. The vote…
GuideStone continues opposition to contraceptive regulations
DALLAS — GuideStone Financial Services, a manager of pension funds for many Baptist church employees in the Mid-Atlantic, announced Feb. 4 it continues to oppose contraceptive regulations. On Tuesday, Feb. 5, just four days after the administration released the healthcare…