NASHVILLE, Tenn. — While working on songs for a new album, most songwriters don’t read the book of Revelation over and over again for inspiration. But that’s exactly what singer/songwriter Phil Wickham did to prepare for the release of his…
Israel’s Messianic Jews wary of stepped-up persecution
ARIEL, West Bank (RNS) — After their teenage son was nearly killed by a bomb disguised as a holiday gift basket, few people were as eager for Ya’acov Teitel to see justice as Leah and David Ortiz. Teitel, an Orthodox…
RIGHT OR WRONG? Learning about mission from immigrants
I tell our Sunday school class the stream of immigrants pouring into our city represents more of an opportunity than a challenge. What can we learn from them about doing mission with more integrity? The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) instructs…
Cindy McCain’s comments–What do you think?
Earthquake shakes, but doesn’t tumble, faith of Haitians
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (RNS) — Did God abandon Haiti? No, say its people of faith — and there are many here in a place without much beyond faith. The earthquake was a sign of God’s presence. So, it should be no…
EDITORIAL: Seeing the vision and living the dream
As I write these lines, the calendar says it is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and I’m in a reflective mood. Since my introduction to American Indians came via a round-screened Zenith television set in the mid 1950s, I viewed…
Black churches team with hospitals to push better diets for congregants
CLEVELAND (RNS) — For Deborah Taylor, keeping her body fit and eating well is a way of honoring God. So, when Taylor, a financial assistant for University Hospitals Ireland Cancer Center, heard about the hospital’s Body & Soul program for…
YMCA seeks to reclaim ‘C’ in its name
SHERWOOD, Ore. (RNS) — The wooden box, not quite big enough to hold a pair of shoes, sits on the reception desk, just inside the Sherwood YMCA. Once a day, Roger Button empties the box, finds a quiet place to…
Church scores with men on football Sunday, attracting crowd to service
EAST ORANGE, N.J. (RNS) — Pastor Dwight Gill figures if there is one thing that will bring more men to church, it’s football. So, at New Hope Baptist Church, NFL doesn’t stand for National Football League, but rather for New…