Just because Jesus told his disciples God alone knows when he will return, that hasn’t prevented 2,000 years of Christian speculation. “Some have said: ‘Jesus just said we can’t know the day or the hour. But that doesn’t mean we…
Despite biblical injunctions to the contrary, Christians remain obsessed with end times
Just because Jesus told his disciples God alone knows when he will return, that hasn’t prevented 2,000 years of Christian speculation. “Some have said: ‘Jesus just said we can’t know the day or the hour. But that doesn’t mean we…
Spiritual journeys show similarities, differences
Abraham Sarker, executive director of Gospel for Muslims, was brought up in a devout Muslim home but became a follower of Jesus Christ. Abdullah Smith, an imam in Houston, grew up in a nominal Christian home but eventually embraced Islam….
Free at last, but what happens now?
Men just released from state prisons in Huntsville, Texas, arrived by bus in Fort Worth and gathered at the Tarrant County Probation Office. But before they re-entered the free world, they heard straight talk from someone who understood what they…
Free at last, but what now? Churches an help former inmates enter new life
Men just released from state prisons in Huntsville, Texas, arrived by bus in Fort Worth and gathered at the Tarrant County Probation Office. But before they re-entered the free world, they heard straight talk from someone who understood what they…
How should churches view holiday-only visitors? Leaders try a variety of methods to stay in contact
Many churches roll out the red carpet for CEOs they expect to see just twice a year — Christmas and Easter Only worshippers. But others wonder, “If we treat CEOs like VIPs, why are they AWOL most of the time?”…
Did I care enough? Caregiver recalls struggle with anger and guilt
During the five years she served as his caregiver, Sue Strother and her husband, Joe, understood the roles each filled. “He bore the pain. I bore the strain,” Mrs. Strother said. Her husband, pastor of North Riverside Baptist Church in…
Churches seek to help ease stress on caregivers — sometimes a challenging task
The New Testament commands Christ’s followers to “bear one another’s burdens.” But applying that principle to caregivers — people who shoulder the around-the-clock responsibility for meeting the needs of someone who cannot live independently because of advanced age, illness or…
African-American Baptists followed divergent paths toward goal of racial uplift, says VUU professor
BELTON, Texas — The story of black Baptists in the 20th century reflects the larger story of African-Americans’ quest for equality, says Virginia Union University historian Adam Bond. African-American Baptists shared a common goal of “racial uplift,” but their approaches…
African-American Baptists followed divergent paths toward goal of racial uplift
BELTON—The story of Black Baptists in the 20th century reflects the larger story of African-Americans’ quest for equality, historian Adam Bond said. African-American Baptists shared a common goal of “racial uplift,” but their approaches varied from social-gospel reform to a…
God and Caesar: What does it mean to be a faithful citizen?
Since the earliest days of Christianity, followers of Jesus have wrestled with the demands of dual citizenship — as citizens of God’s kingdom and of the nations of this world. Jesus established the principle: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s…
Faith of presidential candidates raises questions for Christians
President Barack Obama holds positions on hot-button social issues that put him at odds with many evangelical Christians. His challenger, Mitt Romney, served as a bishop of a church that many evangelicals consider a cult. Add to the mix persistent…