(ABP) — Pastor Tony Lankford had a relaxing-but-productive day planned for himself on Monday. His plan was to prepare the message he would preach the following Sunday on Daniel in the lion’s den. “I was going to go to the…
Seminaries provide help for pastors performing the business of ministry
(ABP) — Pastor Tony Lankford had a relaxing-but-productive day planned for himself on Monday. His plan was to prepare the message he would preach the following Sunday on Daniel in the lion’s den. “I was going to go to the…
The security of the believer — online
(ABP) — All Christians confess that Jesus is Lord, but he’s a poor choice for a computer password, according to an annual listing of passwords on the Internet most prone to hacking. “Jesus” for the first time made the list…
Faithful seek truce in culture war
(ABP) — If Facebook is any measure, Americans are emerging from the 2012 election season convinced the nation’s political and religious divisions are wider and more hostile than ever — and getting worse. But not Duke McCall, 98, the Baptist elder…
Church leaders say returning vets need time, attention
(RNS) — When Staff Sgt. Brandon Hill came home from his third tour in Iraq last year, he expected his wife and young daughters at the welcoming ceremony. What he didn't expect were the pastors, secretaries and members of their…
Looking for an undecided voter? Check the pulpit
(RNS) — Pollsters and politicians hunting for the rare and elusive undecided voter might want to train their sights on the pulpit. A whopping 22 percent of Protestant pastors haven’t settled on a presidential candidate, according to a survey released…
Searching for the real Martin Luther
DURHAM (RNS) — Protestants have traditionally celebrated Oct. 31 as the anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that divided Western Christendom and gave birth to such diverse religious groups as Lutherans, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Mennonites. On…
Fan or foe, children’s sermon here to stay
(ABP) — Judging from the absence of squirming and giggling, Holly Smith’s children’s sermon was quite the hit Sunday morning at Island View Baptist Church in Orange Park, Fla. Five little girls gathered on the steps leading to the pulpit…
Pastors and musicians: allies or rivals?
(RNS) — Eileen Guenther, the national president of the American Guild of Organists, reveals behind-the-scenes church struggles in her new book, Rivals or a Team?: Clergy-Musician Relationships in the Twenty-First Century. Guenther, an associate professor of church music at Washington’s…