ATLANTA — Retired high-ranking military officers and national security experts at a national summit on torture agreed — a policy that permits torture does not make the United States or its troops safer. Speaking on the seventh anniversary of terrorist…
Four in 10 think clergy should endorse candidates
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Four in 10 Americans believe religious leaders should be permitted to endorse political candidates from the pulpit without risking their organization's tax-exempt status, a new survey by the First Amendment Center shows. Twenty-two percent of respondents “strongly”…
EDITORIAL: William Carey would be pleased
William Carey, who is called the father of modern missions, wrote, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” A Georgia church has taken Carey's words to heart. Fireproof, a remarkable movie, opens this week in 800 theaters…
Declaration calls for presidential executive order on torture
Evangelicals for Human Rights, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and the Center for Victims of Torture have drafted a declaration of principles its members want to see the next president include in an executive order on prisoner treatment, torture…
Survey shows megachurches more intimate, less gullible than stereotypes
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new survey by Baylor University researchers suggests megachurches are more intimate, believers less gullible and atheism less prevalent than popular stereotypes would suggest. Results of the 2008 Baylor Religion Survey were released in a Washington press…
Americans believe heaven’s gates open wider
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Many Americans no longer see heaven as an exclusive destination, according to a new survey from Baylor University. When researchers polled U.S. adults about who — and how many — will get into heaven, 54 percent of…
Human rights rooted in Bible, not political philosophy
ATLANTA — Concern about hu-man rights means biblically grounded compassion for oppressed people — not a selfish desire to protect one's own property or prestige, Baptist ethicist Glen Stassen told the National Summit on Torture. “It has been the defenders…
Guidestone’s Hawkins urges investors to ‘stay the course’ when market drops
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Even though sharp drops in the stock market have many Southern Baptist pastors worried about their retirement funds, making an emotional decision to get out of the market is unwise, the president of Guidestone Financial Resources…
FAITH DIGEST
Wall Street workers seek spiritual guidance. As the market mayhem rocks Wall Street, dazed employees in the financial sector who have lost their faith in the economy are turning to religious leaders for guidance. Houses of worship in New York…