America the one and only! There simply isn't anyplace else in the world like it. I'm not proud of some parts of our past, of course. Even while they were crafting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution which followed,…
SECOND OPINION: Alright, kids. Time to grow up
President Obama's inaugural address might not have been one for the ages. But it certainly was the right one for the moment. Somber, sober and almost stern, our new president placed a mantle before the nation and gave us a…
OUT LOUD
“It is a nation with a lot of Christians in it. And I'm proud to be one of them. But it is not a Christian nation.” Bishop T. D. Jakes The author and pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas…
HERITAGE: A man who cared
Bill Jenkins once was described as “firm, fair and faithful.” Roland Byrd, the long-time Baptist campus minister at Virginia Tech, who was describing his former boss and mentor in ministry, said, “Bill encouraged us and helped us to do what…
Anti-abortion forces seek government funding cuts for Planned Parenthood
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Undeterred by solid Democratic gains in November's national elections, religious conservatives who oppose abortion are going on the offensive with a new weapon—a sick economy. In its largest-ever state-based initiative, the Family Research Council is contacting every state lawmaker…
Rick Warren offers shelter for breakaway Anglicans
Evangelical pastor Rick Warren has offered to open the campus of his California megachurch to conservative Anglicans who have broken with the Episcopal Church. Warren, a best-selling author and prominent preacher, wrote to 30 Anglican leaders on Jan. 9, days…
Baptists, Muslims say dialogue a big step in the right direction
NEWTON CENTER, Mass. (ABP)—Several dozen Baptists and Muslims gathered recently to repair a relationship better known for harsh anti-Islamic rhetoric by high-profile Baptist preachers than by dialogue or cooperation. Stan Hastey, a Baptist member of the task force that planned…
FAITH DIGEST
Judges uphold weddings by clergy ordained online. Pennsylvania county judges have ruled in three cases that marriages performed by ministers who do not have congregations and obtained ordination on the Internet are legal, rejecting a contrary 2007 ruling. All three…
Experience in Jamaica helps students see God’s love at work
Just after ringing in 2009, a group of 37 students and leaders from the Baptist collegiate ministry at James Madison University and the College of William and Mary left freezing cold Virginia for the beautiful shores of Jamaica to spend…