NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Protestant pastors are sending mixed messages about the environment and climate change, according to a new survey by LifeWay Research. In a survey of 1,002 clergy last October, 47 percent agreed and 47 percent disagreed with…
Former SBC president ‘concerned’ about Rick Warren’s comments on gay marriage
TAYLORS, S.C. (ABP) — A former president of the Southern Baptist Convention said he is "deeply concerned" about comments by Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren that a recent court decision allowing gay marriage is not part of his agenda….
Baptist groups feel recession’s pinch
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP)—Many things divide the Baptist denomination, but one thing all groups share is the challenge of raising money during a recession. Six months into the fiscal year, receipts to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program were running 3.7…
For churches, a right and wrong way to cut staff
LAKELAND, Fla. (RNS)—As many congregations grapple with declining contributions, some faith communities are following the lead of cash-strapped corporations by laying off employees. But the stakes are higher, congregational leaders say, when you’re putting someone’s spiritual leader out on the…
Economic woes give churches a reason to go green
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Mary Miller used to have trouble getting fellow members of Wilmore United Methodist Church in Kentucky to go green. But as it turns out, a sour economy was an unlikely answer to prayer. As the economy shrank, so did…
BGAV church offers ‘Soul Food’ in town hit hard by recession
DALTON, Ga. (ABP)—Many lives are unraveling in Dalton, Ga., nicknamed the “Carpet Capital of the World,” in the current recession, creating both challenges and opportunities for churches. The North Georgia city of 33,000 makes nearly 75 percent of America’s floor…
Violence mars Easter in northern Nigeria
MINA, Nigeria (ABP) — Easter Sunday turned violent in two cities in Nigeria's northern state of Niger, when young people presumed to be fundamentalist Muslims burned churches in Gwada, while Christian young people in the state capital of Mina defended…
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Hardball Religion’ by Wade Burleson
(ABP) — Hardball Religion is the personal story of Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson and the two tumultuous years he served as a trustee of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Subtitled Feeling the Fury of Fundamentalism, Burleson’s…
At Longwood University, Baptist students promise ‘No Judging’
FARMVILLE – Longwood University’s students and faculty returned from spring break last month to find their campus peppered with a welcomed but anonymous message – thanks to the school’s Baptist collegiate ministries. Small signs with the word “judging” inside a…