If the fans of Star Wars and Dr. Who can have religions based on those franchises, then why can’t music be a faith tradition? That’s what country singer Maren Morris explores in her top-10 hit “My Church,” in which she…
Growing movement seeks ‘freedom from stuff’
The spiritual connection between a 58-inch flat screen TV and the human soul may seem tenuous to many Americans. It may be even harder to believe how that elegantly simple IKEA coffee table makes life more complicated. But rest assured,…
Comparing faith decline in U.S. with Europe, Japan misleading, says professor
Christians anxious about the troubles of the American church often look to Europe’s beautiful-but-empty cathedrals as signs of things to come. But a scholar who studies the connection between fertility, immigration rates and religion said American Christianity is at nowhere near the same place as its European counterpart.
Downtown churches see strength in missionally minded disciples
First Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., enjoys plenty of blessings as a downtown church, says senior pastor Christopher Chapman. The North Carolina city’s urban core is seeing a surge in residential developments that are luring a wave of Millennials. Nearby…
Film, director challenge churches to re-examine purpose in life
Church consultants have been saying it so long they almost sound like a broken record: congregations are closing at appalling rates and most are too afraid to face it. That’s certainly nothing new to congregational coaches like Eddie Hammett, president…
What’s driving religious freedom debate in the U.S.? Fear, say some.
It was just about a year ago when Baptist writer and minister Corey Fields wrote a column critiquing a spate of “religious freedom” bills pushed through statehouses around the country. Indiana’s version was one of the more high-profile measures. It…
Faith, MD motivates inspiring Baylor law grad
Ethan Lange vividly recalls the first time he met Allison Dickson. It was a few years back when they were students at Baylor Law School. “She struck me as a person I can be an influence on, who I can…
Race, sex, politics garner headlines in 2015
By Bob Allen Race, sexuality and politics emerged as recurring themes in daily news coverage by Baptist News Global in 2015. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, challenged black and white Baptists to move beyond comfort…
Baptist Standard suspends merger talks with Baptist News Global
By Bob Allen The board of directors of Baptist Standard Publishing voted in mid-September to put on hold talks of exploring a possible merger with Baptist News Global. A year ago the governing boards of the two news agencies entered…