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 &…
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…
Fundamentalists of all stripes want to turn back the clock
Despite all their theological and cultural differences, fundamentalists of every faith share at least one common characteristic — resistance to modernity. That's the assessment of scholars and firsthand observers who have evaluated the varieties of religious expression. “Fundamentalism worldwide is…
Fundamentalist now applies to ‘other groups that scare us’
Were the 9/11 terrorists who flew airplanes into the Twin Towers fundamentalists? Technically, no. Practically, yes. “Fundamentalism” specifically refers to a conservative movement within U.S. Protestant Christianity that began about a century ago, scholars agree. But they concede the term…
What’s next for New Baptist Covenant?
ATLANTA (ABP) — Fifteen thousand participants in the New Baptist Covenant convocation arrived in Atlanta Jan. 30 seeking unity in Christ and departed Feb. 1 wondering where their quest will lead. In the meantime, they demonstrated racial, theological and geographic…
Caring for the poor: Whose job is it — church or state?
Care for people Jesus called “the least of these” requires response from both congregations and government, according to specialists who focus on ministry to the poor and on church/ state relations. As participants in both church and state, Christians should…
SECOND OPINION: Think about immigration and Jesus
Don't you wish America's political leadership had an ounce of moral imagination? The Senate's failure to improve our immigration system represents a new low in legislative ineffectiveness. (Coming from someone who's watched the Texas Legislature at un-work, that's a mouthful.)…
CBF moderator says God’s covenant gives responsibility
WASHINGTON (ABP)—God's covenant with Christians “places the responsibility for being the presence of Christ squarely on our shoulders,” Emmanuel McCall told participants at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship general assembly. God is a covenant-keeping God, insisted McCall, the Fellowship's moderator and…
Southern Baptists grapple with global warming, doubt causes
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention rejected scientific claims that humans are to blame for global warming and dismissed the governmental efforts to reverse it. Messengers to the annual SBC meeting also stood by their resolution committee's decision…