Note: This article discusses suicide, child sexual abuse and domestic violence. It may be distressing for some readers. On June 30, child liberation theologian and abuse survivor advocate Ryan Stollar died by suicide, following a lengthy struggle with his...
A Christian community which attracts pilgrims from around the world to contemplate and pray amid the wild beauty of the Hebridean island of Iona is in “serious jeopardy.”
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly. STAFF CHANGES Ashley Boschen, concluding her tenure as director of children and youth ministries, at Northside Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, Va….
How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar? With these words,…
In a recent conversation, a pastor whose father was also a pastor related to me this interesting observation. The elder pastor said, “In my generation, if you could really hang your hat on one or two aspects of ministry, you…
Religious freedom has become synonymous with division in the United States thanks to a rash of controversial state laws creating tension between conservative religious groups and LGBT rights. Corporations and gay rights groups have squared off against states and cities…
Christ’s disciples are called to serve the least of these. But that may not include the least of those in prison and jails, a new study finds. LifeWay Research surveyed 1,000 Protestant senior pastors and found that most of them…
The years that women’s church attendance began to decline are the very years when religious leaders in the Catholic Church and the evangelical movement fused religion with the culture wars.
How can we talk about orthodoxy or orthopraxy when best and brightest pastors have too much integrity to lie to get the approval they need to serve?
Hypocrisy always makes for a sexy story. Perhaps it’s the justice of seeing the self-righteous get a taste of their own medicine, or maybe it’s like a bad car crash: we can’t bring ourselves to look away. Whatever the reason,…
Every day, I walk a fine line between servant leadership and people-pleasing. Some days, I get it right. Other days, I can’t even see the line. Let’s face it — pastors are human. We like to help people and fix…
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Cecelia Beck has established herself as a presence in the lives of children, youth and adults since moving to the “Weed and Seed” neighborhood of Shelby, N.C. “It is important to be present in order…
Baylor University declined to comment on reports on Tuesday that President Kenneth Starr, the former independent counsel charged with investigating Bill Clinton, has been fired over sexual abuse scandals there.
