WASHINGTON (RNS) — It took 83 years to build the iconic Washington National Cathedral, but a rare East Coast earthquake last summer took just seconds to send carved stone finials tumbling from the heavens to the ground below. Now, six…
CBF council affirms task force report
By Bob Allen The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Coordinating Council affirmed the 2012 Task Force report Feb. 24, pending adjustments from listening sessions the previous day that will be resubmitted for final approval by e-mail. A timeline calls for more work…
CBF leader says it’s time to revisit ban on hiring gays
Friendships foster deeper religious life, research shows
By Ken Camp Research proves what most ministers long have suspected: Friendships developed at church positively influence religious behavior and — to a lesser degree — beliefs. Sam Stroope, a doctoral student in sociology at Baylor University, analyzed data from…
Baptist college sues over contraceptive mandate
By Bob Allen A Baptist college in Louisiana is suing the federal government over a requirement that religious schools and hospitals cover contraceptives in insurance for their employees, including birth control pills that induce abortion. The Alliance Defense Fund filed…
After C.S. Lewis College fails, a campus for the taking
NORTHFIELD, Mass. (RNS) — Jerry Pattengale’s cell phone won’t stop ringing as he leads a secretive group of four wide-eyed college administrators around a majestic campus built in 1879 by legendary evangelist D.L. Moody. Calls and visitors are pouring in…
Looking for a new campus? This one’s free.
NORTHFIELD, Mass. (RNS) — Jerry Pattengale’s cell phone won’t stop ringing as he leads a secretive group of four wide-eyed college administrators around a majestic campus built in 1879 by legendary evangelist D.L. Moody. Calls and visitors are pouring in…
Online spiritual resources for observing Lent available
By Robert Dilday Two resources to help observe the season of Lent are available online, one provided by the Birmingham, Ala.-based Passport Inc., the other by a Baptist congregation in Charlottesville, Va. Journey to the Cross, a Lenten devotional series…
Faith leaders ask candidates to avoid sowing religious discord
By Bob Allen The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty joined Jewish and interfaith leaders in drafting a statement Feb. 21 calling on candidates to refrain from using religion as a political wedge. The document titled “Religion in Political Campaigns…
Children turned away from church while sex offender preaches
By Bob Allen A Baptist church in Florida is barring children from attendance where a registered sex offender has been preaching since the end of January. Jacksonville television station WJXT quoted a woman Feb. 19 who said she was turned…
‘Souper’ churches feed hungry on Super Bowl Sunday
RICHMOND, Va. — As football fans donned jerseys in support of the New England Patriots and the New York Giants on Sunday, Feb. 5, thousands across the Mid-Atlantic marked the day of the NFL’s championship game by providing food and…
Churches celebrate 200th with theatrical production
RALEIGH, N.C. — Two First Baptist churches sit across from each other on Capitol Square in Raleigh, N.C. One, on Wilmington Street, is attended mostly by African-American worshipers; the other, on Salisbury Street, is predominantly white. The two churches have…