BRISTOL, Va.—A Virginia Intermont College student who aspires to share her love of God as a photographer and missionary has won a prestigious scholarship from the Virginia Press Women’s Foundation. Kayla Robbins (Photo courtesy of Virginia Intermont College) Kayla Robbins,…
Religious freedom organization gets final approval to begin new educational complex in Richmond
RICHMOND, Va.—The First Freedom Center received final approval from the Richmond City Council July 23 to construct a downtown exhibit and hotel complex to highlight religious freedom. The City Council’s action paves the way for the 28-year-old non-profit educational organization…
Campbell’s music conference provides ministry oasis
BUIES CREEK, N.C.—From the vibrations of organist Jane Holstein’s open organ registration in the initial session to the harmony of a variety of instruments, voices and bells in the closing worship service, attendees at Campbell University Divinity School’s second annual…
Is gun control a religious issue? Maybe, but the debate rages
(RNS)—Of all the controversies that have followed in the bloody wake of July 20 shooting rampage in Aurora, Colo., few have provided such a clarifying insight into the moral tensions and contradictions in American culture than the argument over whether…
More churches turning to high-tech worship
(RNS) No matter where you live, you can go to church, so to speak, with Christ Fellowship in McKinney, Texas, which is on board with almost every high-tech gambit under heaven. Find the church by going online—the 21st-century version of…
Mormons and Baptists compete for converts
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS)—Jake Pulsipher’s first day as a working missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began at 6:30 a.m. with prayer and exercise, followed by breakfast and study. Then he put on a black suit, white…
Is a contemporary worship service the quick-fix to energize a church?
It’s a recurring scenario in America’s Christian congregations. As members grapple with their church’s future—eager to increase attendance or renew spiritual energy—one suggestion inevitably emerges. It’s time to start a contemporary worship service. The assumption that guitar- and drum-driven worship…
Survey finds record 19 percent of religiously unaffiliated Americans
(RNS)—Unbelief is on the uptick. People who check “None” for their religious affiliation are now nearly one in five Americans (19 percent), the highest ever documented, according to the Pew Center for the People and the Press. The rapid rise…
EDITORIAL: Freeh indeed! Penn State’s sex scandal and implications for the church
The release of the Freeh report the morning of July 12, has focused attention once again to the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal. According to the 267-page report authored by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who was hired by…