ST. LOUIS (RNS) — As members of The Gathering in St. Louis began to hear of the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments after Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols had signed a $245 million contract with the Los Angeles…
LETTER: The defining mark of Christian discipleship
Jesus, who never wrote anything, is quoted as saying, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Today he has over seven billion disciples. Shortly after Jesus’ murder, an educated Jewish writer…
OPINION: What about the poor?
Jesus said the poor “always” will be with us. Was he talking about all the people who don’t have much money, or just the ones we call the “deserving poor” or the “poor in spirit”? How should Christians treat this…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Larry Leader is a little troubled
Larry Leader’s been a little troubled these recent Sundays. One Sunday morning Larry’s sitting in his pew at the All Alike Baptist Church. He’s been in the same place every Sunday for more than 25 years, the third-pew-from-the-back-on-the-right-hand-side. Larry’s a…
LETTER: Interpreting Scripture for the 21st century
This morning as I cleaned my desk—post-vacation procrastination as I desperately tried to prolong the last remnants of two weeks of complete irresponsibility—I came across one of your Herald articles that I had cut out for future reference. “The birds…
SBC leader envisions ‘unity’ on Calvinism issue
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) — “The local church is God's plan to attack the gates of hell,” said Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, during a special forum at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. R. Albert Mohler Jr.,…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Survey explores impact of churches
(RNS) — Almost half of churchgoing Americans say their life has not changed a bit due to their time in the pews, a new survey shows. Barna Group, an evangelical company based in California, found that 46 percent reported no…
LETTER: Agrees with county’s decision
The wonderful opinion article by Dr. Ellis West [Herald, Aug. 6] echoed similar thoughts I felt with the recent decision of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors to cease having invocations (prayers) before their public board meetings. As a citizen…
LifeWay’s new Bible study line prompts worries about bias toward Calvinism
CLEVELAND, Ga. (ABP) — A Southern Baptist college president says new curriculum produced by LifeWay Christian Resources is biased toward a theological viewpoint not “representative of the vast majority of Southern Baptists.” Emir Caner, president of Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland,…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Larry Leader changes hats
Larry Leader’s typical Sunday at church is full and fast. This morning, Larry arrives at All Alike Baptist Church at 9:30 as usual and goes directly to the Pressured Parents’ Sunday school classroom, where he’s the teacher. Leading by example…
Orthodox Jews mark end of 7-year Talmud study, 2,711 pages later
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (RNS) — Some have called their efforts a spiritual calling, a labor of love, a rich opportunity to connect with thousands of years of Jewish history and religion. Others have viewed them as a relentless endeavor and…
Study suggests megachurch services produce spiritual and biological ‘high’
(RNS) — Maybe religion really is the opiate of the masses — just not the way Karl Marx imagined. A University of Washington study posits that worship services at megachurches can trigger feelings of transcendence and changes in brain chemistry…