What distinguishes religiously-affiliated hospitals from their secular counterparts? Chaplains and charity care top the list, administrators of faith-based, nonprofit health care institutions agree. “Every morning at 5 a.m., a chaplain goes into our surgical unit, where he has the opportunity…
Texas’s Bethesda Clinic brings hope to the uninsured
TYLER, Texas — A trip to the doctor can be financially catastrophic for some people — the 45 million uninsured or underinsured Americans. Bethesda Health Clinic, a faith-based primary-care clinic started primarily by First Baptist Church of Tyler, is addressing…
Baptist layman provides gift of life to music minister
LUBBOCK,Texas — Alzheimer's disease may cloud Hal Rowe's memory or derail his train of thought, but it has done nothing to damage his love of life and his desire to help others. Shortly after his diagnosis in the spring of…
Wounded ‘soldier of the cross’ scarred by Christian service
BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — After 18 years serving in hot spots around the globe, Kevin Turner finally was wounded in the line of duty — not physically, but emotionally and spiritually. As president of Strategic World Impact and an ordained Baptist…
Christians called to make culture; let God handle transformation
Andy Crouch feels uncomfortable when Christians talk about transforming culture or making an impact on society. But he strongly believes churches should do far more to encourage Christians to make culture — right where they live. “I'm all for cultural…
Ground-rules recommended for dealing with religion in schools
ABILENE, Texas — Whatever the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately decides, communities should strive to have better conversations about the role of religion in public schools, Melissa Rogers told participants at the T.B. Maston Christian Ethics Lectures at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon…
Looking for guidelines for Christian blogs? Start with the New Testament
The New Testament book of James compares the tongue to raging fire and a wild beast that cannot be tamed. And the author of that book never was “flamed” on a blog or in a chat room. Words have power,…
Legal expert suggests how to manage mix of religion, politics
ABILENE, Texas — Religion and politics inevitably will mix — especially in the U.S. presidential campaign — but that does not mean Americans should sanction a free-for-all, church-state expert Melissa Rogers insisted. Rogers, director of the Center for Religion &…
Floral theology delineates doctrines held by Calvinists
Theologians past and present have used a bouquet of initials and analogies to describe Calvinist doctrine. Historically, the Reformed Synod of Dort in the Netherlands delineated the differences between Calvinism and the teachings of James Jacobus Arminius. For the sake…