{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…
Persecution a recent concern in SBC resolutions
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — While staunch defenders of human rights and religious liberty for all, Southern Baptists rarely mentioned religious persecution in convention resolutions until the 1990s. That coincides with increased calls by social conservatives, including the newly conservative leadership…
Blessed are the Persecuted: Where persecution is real, it’s intense
WASHINGTON (ABP) — During the holiday season every year, America’s dutiful culture warriors spar over things like whether ecumenical holiday greetings are appropriate for retailers or Christian Nativity scenes should be displayed on courthouse lawns that Jews, Muslims and atheists…
Baptists worldwide take low-key approach to religious-liberty concerns
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — Baptists generally prefer to handle violations of religious freedom through quiet diplomacy instead of media headlines denouncing “persecution” of Christians, said a freedom-and-justice specialist for the Baptist World Alliance. That approach contrasts with well-known organizations…
Most American Protestant pastors view Islam as ‘dangerous’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Two-thirds of Protestant pastors in the United States believe Islam is a dangerous religion, according to survey results released by LifeWay Research. The survey, however, did not explore the issues behind their concern. While opinions vary…
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…