FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — A Christian college president in Haiti told Baptist World Alliance officials that the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit near the country's capital Jan. 12 "will affect everybody in Haiti." "The whole country is in shock…
ABC, CBF plan multi-pronged responses to Haitian earthquake
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (ABP) — American Baptists plan to tap both international relief efforts and local churches with strong ties to the Haitian-American community in responding to human suffering caused by the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. The Cooperative Baptist…
Religious Right leader defends Robertson’s Haiti comment
VISTA, Calif. (ABP) — As several religious leaders criticized Pat Robertson's comments blaming Haiti's massive Jan. 12 earthquake on a pact supposedly made by its people with the devil, one came out to defend him. Gary Cass, chairman and CEO…
OPINION: Pat Robertson, Haiti and the devil
(ABP) — Is God punishing Haiti for worshiping the devil? Pat Robertson claims that Haiti’s founders, 200 years ago, made a pact with Satan for which the island's 9.7 million inhabitants are now facing the wrath of God in the…
Florida Baptists will lead initial SBC disaster relief response in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Southern Baptists are mobilizing to assess disaster relief needs after the largest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti the evening of Jan. 12. The initial Southern Baptist disaster relief effort will be led by Florida…
REVIEW: ‘The Book of Eli’ casts Bible as a major theme
MALIBU, Calif. (ABP) — The Bible plays a starring role in "The Book of Eli," a post-apocalyptic action film starring Denzel Washington that opened in theaters Jan. 15. Washington, a two-time Academy Award winner widely known in Hollywood for his…
Television program profiles friendships between Muslims, Baptists
{youtube}9M_KIOG7s04{/youtube} NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — One thing Muslims and Baptists have in common is they are often identified by their extremists, according to a documentary airing on ABC television stations in January and February. "Different Books, Common Word" offers an…
Fear of flu prompts panic in cautious congregations
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Hand sanitizer appears at the sanctuary entrance. Worshippers greet each other with a cautionary bow rather than a warm handshake or hug. Absences increase in Bible classes. The H1N1 flu pandemic is shaking up religious communities and…
FAITH DIGEST: American Christians dabble in New Age
Nearly one-fourth of the self-identified Christians in the United States delve into a range of Eastern or New Age beliefs, a new study shows. Asked about their supernatural experiences, significant minorities of American Christian respondents said they believe in astrology…
Obama’s Muslim outreach named top religion story of 2009
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The nation’s religion journalists named President Obama’s speech to the Muslim world as the top religion story of the year. Members of the Religion Newswriters Association ranked the June speech in Cairo, in which the president quoted…
Use the Quran to share Christ with Muslim, veteran missionary suggests
ANGLETON, Texas — Winning Muslim converts to Christianity is difficult, but veteran missionary Kevin Greeson knows a way—start with the Quran. Greeson, who has served 16 years with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board working to start Christian movements among…
RIGHT or WRONG? Emerging Church
Our church just hired a pastor who is young enough to be the child of many members. His language about “the emerging church,” “postmodernism” and “interfaith dialogue” distresses older members. Communication and context seem to be the issues in conflict…