Dave Ramsey is founder of the Lampo Group and one of the most widely recognized experts on the intersection of Christian principles and personal finance. He agreed to an e-mail interview about ethical financial decision-making for Christians. Q: When it…
RIGHT or WRONG? Painful church experience
A Barna survey revealed an extraordinary percentage of Americans no longer attend church because of some painful experience. What has happened to cause the place identified as “a hospital for sinners” or put forward as “sanctuary” to be avoided by…
Financial decisions have moral implications, experts say
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Even a financial decision as seemingly mundane as where to buy your morning coffee can have profound moral implications. Does the company that produces or sells the coffee collude with corrupt government institutions to exploit the farmers…
VITAL SIGNS: No winners
One of the most painful parts of our political process is the heated rhetoric of the campaign season. Most of us are so disgusted by the vitriol of political ads that, by election day, we are willing to vote for…
About one-third of BGAV churches represented at 2010 annual meeting
RICHMOND, Va. — About a third of eligible churches were represented at the Nov. 9-10 meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia — a percentage that has remained fairly stable for several years despite variations in overall attendance at…
Mid-Atlantic cities ranked as among the most religious in United States
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The nation’s most religious cities aren’t just in the Deep South or Utah — they’re found in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a recent ranking by Men’s Health magazine. Five of the 15 most religious cities in America…
Harry Potter presents contemporary gospel narrative, professor says
AUSTIN—A bespectacled teenaged wizard with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead may not fit most people’s picture of Christ, but Christian pop culture observer Greg Garrett definitely sees the similarities. “Harry Potter is one of the most clearly identifiable examples…
Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood unimpressed by new NIV
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — A group that criticized the New International Version Bible translation for introducing a gender-inclusive edition in 2005 says it isn't satisfied by revisions in the latest edition recently available online. The Council for Biblical Manhood and…
Texas Baptist executive is considering move to pastorate after three years
DALLAS — Randel Everett, the former Virginia Baptist pastor and seminary president who has served as Texas Baptists' executive director for almost three years, announced Nov. 21 he will preach at First Baptist Church in Midland, Texas, Dec. 5 "in view…
VIRGINIA BAPTIST FORUM: What did America’s founders have in mind?
I've been reading and listening to comments on the Religious Liberty Committee's resolution adopted by the Baptist General Association of Virginia [insert] with great interest. I’ve seen evidence for the different sides of the debates, but I have to admit…
Arab Christian: Bad eschatology harms U.S. Christians
KELLER, Texas (ABP) — Theology that equates the modern state of Israel with the Israel of biblical prophecy has caused some evangelical Christians to let eschatology trump ethics when it comes to the Middle East, a Palestinian-American Christian told a…
Judge refuses to block Tennessee mosque and Islamic center
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (ABP) — A judge ruled Nov. 17 that Muslims can move forward with plans to build a new mosque and Islamic center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Chancellor Robert Corlew III heard a total of eight days of testimony spread…