AUSTIN, Texas—A bespectacled teenaged wizard with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead may not fit most people’s picture of Christ, but Christian pop culture observer Greg Garrett definitely sees the similarities. “Harry Potter is one of the most clearly identifiable…
Arab Christian: Bad eschatology harms U.S. Christians
KELLER, Texas (ABP) — Theology that equates the modern state of Israel with the Israel of biblical prophecy has caused some evangelical Christians to let eschatology trump ethics when it comes to the Middle East, a Palestinian-American Christian told a…
Does eschatology trump ethics?
KELLER, Texas (ABP) — Theology that equates the modern state of Israel with the Israel of biblical prophecy has caused some evangelical Christians to let eschatology trump ethics when it comes to the Middle East, a Palestinian-American Christian told a…
Texas Baptist paper develops FaithVillage online community
DALLAS — Baptist Standard Publishing is building a $5 million community — FaithVillage, an interactive Internet presence designed to provide high-quality Christian resources and a social network to serve 20 million evangelicals ages 18 to 44. The site will provide…
Who’s in charge? As churches grow, decision-making becomes complex
Baptist churches across the board agree — Jesus Christ is the head of the church. But when it comes to ways Christians discern Christ’s will for their particular congregation, handle its day-to-day administrative chores and make decisions about budget and…
Who are evangelicals? Some wonder if the term has lost its meaning
When evangelist Billy Graham, social activist Jim Wallis, pastor Rick Warren, theologian Al Mohler and author Brian McLaren all can fit under the umbrella term “evangelical,” some theological and cultural observers wonder if the term has lost its meaning. And…
Rural churches measure growth differently, pastors say
DALLAS — Brand New Church in northern Arkansas and Fairy Baptist Church in Central Texas bear little resemblance to each other. Pastor Shannon O’Dell leads a multi-campus, contemporary-style church in rural Arkansas that draws about 2,000 worshippers in-person from throughout…
Christian higher education not spared from recession’s impact
God makes rain fall on the just and the unjust, Jesus said. Similarly, recession makes market prices fall, affecting endowments of Christian higher education and secular universities alike. United States and Canadian schools suffered an average 23 percent drop in…
Texas Baptists eliminate 13 staff positions, reduce some to part-time
DALLAS (ABP) — Six Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board employees are losing their jobs, seven unfilled posts are being eliminated and a dozen positions are being reduced from full-time to part-time due to the state convention’s current financial…