LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)—Today's young Christians are the church, not the church's future, and it's time they take seriously the Bible's call to care for “the least of these,” including those with HIV/AIDS, Francis Chan told students at a youth…
SECOND OPINION: Silent night: Not easy for most of us
RICHMOND (BP) — Message spotted on a church sign: “Christmas: expectant hush, not last-minute rush.” Rush we can do. Hush, not so much. Given a choice between a day of silence and stillness or of noise and distraction, the average…
Happy new year?
When does the New Year begin? For Christians observing the church calendar, the new year began Dec. 2, with the start of the Advent season. The liturgical year is an “or-derly way to look at the full scope of Christian…
FAITH DIGEST
Court rejects faith-based prison program. An Iowa prisoner rehabilitation program run by evangelicals oversteps church-state boundaries and should not receive government funds, a federal appeals court has ruled. InnerChange Freedom Initiative runs a program “dominated by Bible study, Christian classes,…
Fair-trade items offer Christmas gifts with a conscience
NEW YORK (ABP)—What's the perfect revenge for the flannel-lined hot-water bottle Aunt Sharon gave you last year? Or the Michael Bolton CD from your brother-in-law? Maybe a toilet. Or an ox. A bag of seeds would work, for that matter….
Reaching the campus, one student at a time
FARMVILLE—It's no secret that one of the goals of Baptist Collegiate Ministries is outreach. At Longwood University we've integrated a new program into our activities hoping to attract new students with a non-threatening medium: videogames. This year we've started hosting…
Churches push Advent Conspiracy to teach real giving
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS)—The Christmas contradiction gives Pastor Rick McKinley a headache. Americans will spend about $475 billion this year on gifts, decorations and parties that many won't even remember next year. They will run themselves ragged—shopping, wrapping and celebrating. And…
BTSR offers class on missional church
RICHMOND—Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond is offering a class next year on the missional church movement, open to both laypersons and clergy. “An Introduction to the Missional Church Movement” is a master of divinity level course and will be held…
For some, happy holidays means no gifts
AUSTIN, Texas (RNS)—Scrap the gift lists. Trash the wrapping paper. Blow off the mall. That's the mind-set of Americans who can't stomach exchanging holiday presents. They aren't grinches or scrooges. They just reject what they consider the wastefulness and stress…