COVID-19 and gigantic swarms of crop-devouring locusts are compounding the challenges of hunger, poverty and war that many Africans already face. But there are communities where a reliance on faith and on internal economic capacity are helping people survive current…
Religion Notes: One Baptist group urges end to Holy Land violence while another talks sex
An occasional compilation of events from around the religious world. To suggest items for inclusion, email assistant editor Jeff Brumley at [email protected].
‘God don’t make junk’: Transformed vision prompted transformed community in S.C. neighborhood
Metanoia, a grassroots, asset-based community development ministry founded in 2002, is changing lives and perceptions in a North Charleston, S.C., neighborhood.
Metanoia lives into its name as community’s opportunities flourish
According to Merriam-Webster, “metanoia” is a Greek word describing “a transformative change of heart.” A faith-based non-profit in South Carolina has lived into that definition in remarkable ways, observers say.
Photo Gallery: Metanoia in photos
All photos taken in this photo gallery of Metanoia are by Stephen B. Morton. [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”14″ gal_title=”Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield”] In this series, we learn what happens when a community rejects traditional concepts of charity but instead taps the existing…
A new book claims more Baptists will embrace liturgical forms of worship as inherently missional
(ABP) — Pastors and scholars familiar with a new book about liturgical worship say its publication signals the practice’s spread in Baptist churches which realize ancient Christian practices are inherently missional and may lure younger generations to the faith. Gathering…
Aging pushes some churches to fiscal brink, others to find creative solutions
(ABP) — Survival is a question thousands of American churches confront each year. Estimates of annual church closures range from 3,500 to 7,000. That’s likely to increase as younger generations, including the rise of the “nones,” increasingly avoid organized religion….
Festival aims to overcome theological differences, address social issues
HOT SPRINGS, N.C. (ABP) — The third-annual Wild Goose Festival opened in early August in the mountains of North Carolina, with organizers and many participants hoping the outdoor gathering will heal divisions between conservative, progressive and moderate Christians. National leaders…
Woman follows her parents into ministry, despite ups and downs of life as preacher’s kid
(ABP) — Now and then, a preacher's kid follows a parent into the ministry. But when the moment of decision came for Leah Anderson Reed, she decided to follow both her father and mother into ordination. Reed, 27, was ordained…
Egyptian Baptist pastor warns against entanglement of religion and politics
(ABP) — In a letter describing the Islamist persecution of Christians in Egypt, a Baptist minister in Cairo provides a disturbing warning against the entanglement of religion and politics. And portions of the letter, two U.S. church scholars say, are…
Swallowed or saved? When small churches merge with large ones
Some see the nation’s burgeoning church merger and multisite movements resulting from larger congregations preying on smaller ones, pressuring them into relinquishing buildings and land in exchange for survival. In some circles, that’s called “steeple-jacking.” But it’s also largely a…
Pastors whose congregations face foreclosure say it’s vital to act, recall church is not a building
(ABP) — A Missionary Baptist pastor in Anniston, Ala., learned recently that his church faces foreclosure and its building may be auctioned to the highest bidder by the end of the month. The Anniston Star reported that Pastor La’Noan Ealy…