LONDON (RNS) — In the first case of its kind, a British court has convicted three Muslim men — who claimed they were acting under teachings of their religion — of openly advocating the execution of gays. Jurors in Derby,…
Megadeth star takes metal — and seminary — on tour
CLAYTON, Mo. (RNS) — As new students wandered onto the campus of Concordia Seminary last September, they were joined by another group of theological rookies — mostly midcareer types — joining the school’s program that allows students to train for…
EDITORIAL: Principles are sometimes hard to hold
For Baptists of old, freedom of religious thought and practice was more than an academic hold-over from previous generations. Being sent to jail for proclaiming your beliefs tends to make it personal. To them it was a right granted by…
Children’s project empowers women around the world
CAPE CHARLES, Va. — A hunger relief project initiated in 2009 by three children and their teacher in a mission education class at a small church on Virginia’s Eastern Shore has mushroomed into a multi-church endeavor which will provide thousands…
OUT LOUD
“We’re bringing the bed back in church.” Ed Young Jr. The Dallas-area Baptist pastor and his wife recently spent 24 hours in a bed on the roof of their church to send a message about the role of sex in…
Pope gives final approval to controversial lay group
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — After a 15-year process, the Holy See on Jan. 20 gave its final approval to the Neocatechumenal Way, a lay movement that has been criticized for its unorthodox liturgical practices but that has been successful in…
VIRGINIA BRIEFS
2012 Heritage Fellows applications open. Applications are now available for the 2012 Heritage Fellows program, sponsored by the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies. Each year the Center appoints a few outstanding Virginia Baptist college students as Heritage Fellows. They…
Big-city mayors come out for same-sex marriage
NEW YORK (RNS) — A bipartisan coalition of 80 U.S. mayors on Jan. 20 launched a “Freedom to Marry” campaign to build public support for giving same-sex couples the right to marry under U.S. and state laws. “It is not…
VITAL SIGNS: The unbalanced church
When a congregation wants to get, stay or remain healthy, one of the key questions it asks has to do with the balance between its internal and an external focus. One excellent congregational exercise to help with this question is…
Amish man says home electricity OK if it gets him out of jail
CLEVELAND (RNS) — The leader of an Amish splinter sect who is being held in jail on federal hate crime charges related to a series of beard-cutting attacks says he is not opposed to allowing electricity installed in his home….
Obama holds firm on contraception coverage
NEW YORK (RNS) — The Obama administration said Jan. 20 that it will not broaden the religious exemption in new rules that require employers to provide contraception coverage to employees, a move that angered religious groups and opened a high…
Faith-based anti-trafficking efforts make a difference
Small details in the lives of the troubled students Tyler Shoesmith works with tell more than they would like him to know. It's the words they use, the clothes they wear — even the age of the people they spend…