WASHINGTON (RNS) — After the election of Democrat Barack Obama as president, you might expect religious progressives to start polishing their resumes for prominent Washington posts. But liberal faith leaders said they have little interest in securing White House sinecures,…
RIGHT OR WRONG?
I have just been terminated from a church staff. The personnel committee that asked for my resignation said they could do that because the state carries “at-will” employer-employee guidelines. Do I have any legal recourse? The short answer is “no,”…
OPINION: Regardless of politics, a reason for America to rejoice
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Nov. 5, 2008, was the most improbable day of my 34-year-old life. The unlikely elevation of an African American to the presidency is just the latest episode in what the president-elect himself has called “the unlikely story…
Not all belief in paranormal phenomena is created equal
WASHINGTON (RNS) — For some Americans, ghosts, Bigfoot and UFOs aren't the stuff of tabloid teasers or X-Files reruns. They believe paranormal phenomena are real — as real as a resurrected Jesus and a devious Satan are to millions. In…
OPINION: An open letter to President-elect Barack Obama
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Dear President-elect Obama, First, congratulations on your successful campaign to become the 44th president of our beloved United States of America. This was a historic election in terms of the massive increase in voter participation as…
Azerbaijan pastor tried on Oct. 31
WASHINGTON (BWA) — Hamid Shabanov, a Baptist pastor in Azerbaijan who was arrested on June 20, faced trial on Oct. 31. He is charged with the illegal possession of a weapon. Shabanov is the second Baptist pastor in the town…
Mississippi churches tackle Delta’s poverty
ATLANTA — Of all the places Courtney Allen thought she'd be during a summer ministry in Greenville, Miss., standing in rubber boots in raw sewage wasn't one of them. But a local family desperately needed a functioning bathroom, and someone…
Father, Son & Who?: Baptists struggle with concept of the Trinity
Ghost!” a 5-year-old screeched as he stood in the pew and clutched his mother's neck. “Mama, the preacher said there's a ghost in here!” Although most Baptists in the sanctuary laughed at the outburst, likely at least a few also…
Baptist activist applauds stay of execution
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — An American Baptist minister who advocates criminal-justice reform hailed as a “miracle” the latest stay of execution for a black man convicted of murdering a white Georgia police officer nearly 20 years ago. Alan Bean of…