So you want to spend the weeks prior to Easter exploring spiritual disciplines but aren’t sure where to start? In his book The Sacred Way, writer and theologian Tony Jones offers an easily accessible approach to spiritual practices developed by…
Vestal predicts further downsizing at CBF
DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — The head of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship predicted future budget cuts that for the first time would affect global-missions personnel for the 20-year-old movement spun off from the Southern Baptist Convention. The CBF Coordinating Council normally…
Unfamiliar practices may bring unexpected benefits to churches
Introducing unfamiliar practices to church members can be challenging, but congregations often are far less resistant than expected, according to some pastors who have tried it. “I think people are hungry for ritual, especially those who don’t come from a…
What’s the skinny on Lent?
An odd word, Lent. Most European languages refer to the 40-day preparation period prior to Easter with some form of the words “forty” or “fast.” English-speakers, on the other hand, adapted a Teutonic or Anglo-Saxon (no one knows quite sure…
FAITH DIGEST
No competition for donations. Houses of worship and other charities often aren’t in competition for dollars but instead tend to reap donations from similar donors, a new study shows. Slightly more than 50 percent of people who financially supported congregations…
No black and white answers to lack of diversity among atheists
DALLAS (RNS) — Alix Jules is an atheist, but for years he felt uncomfortable at gatherings of nonbelievers. The reason: He’s black. “I got really tired of going back and forth to free-thought events and being the only black person…
Most Americans support upcoming congressional probe of Muslims
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Americans haven’t heard much about congressional hearings on the radicalization of U.S. Muslims, but more than half think it’s a good idea, and nearly as many believe Muslims here haven’t done enough to fight extremists in their…
RIGHT OR WRONG? Is any career choice a calling?
{mosimage}I knew I wanted to become a lawyer in middle school and always felt it was a calling. That sense has not changed despite attempts to denigrate my profession. Who hasn’t heard the lawyer jokes like, “The reason sharks do…
Do religious people make easy targets for scams?
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Major frauds exposed by federal investigators in recent years have targeted Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baptists and other religious groups, from $190 million lost in a three-year scam promoted by a Christian radio host in Minnesota to an estimated $1.4…