WASHINGTON (RNS) — President Obama spoke at length Feb. 3 about the daily contours of his Christian faith, brushing off the skeptics who question the authenticity of his beliefs. “My Christian faith … has been a sustaining force for me…
Rabbis petition Fox News to end Holocaust language
(RNS) — Hundreds of American rabbis used Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 to push media mogul Rupert Murdoch to “sanction” Glenn Beck and other Fox News personalities on the use of Nazi and Holocaust references. The “Sanction Glenn Beck”…
Cash-strapped cities look to churches for tax monies
When a community needs to rebuild crumbling roads, should houses of worship pay fees for the number of times their congregants drive on them? That’s the question behind a recent suit filed by churches in the small city of Mission,…
Southern Baptist leader resigns coalition supporting mosques
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has resigned from a new interfaith coalition, saying some fellow Southern Baptists felt it was inappropriate for him to support the building of…
U.S. Muslim population to double in 20 years
The U.S. Muslim population is expected to double over the next 20 years, fueled by immigration and higher-than-average fertility rates, according to a new report released Jan. 27. The authors of the report, “The Future of the Global Muslim Population”…
Ala. governor off to ‘rocky start’ with Jews, Muslims
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (RNS) — Jewish and Muslim groups want to know if they have a place in Alabama after Gov. Robert Bentley, just hours into office, said people who have not accepted Jesus as their savior are not his “brothers…
Liberty University’s seminary leads ranks of would-be chaplains
LYNCHBURG, Va. — According to Air Force data, no training program is more popular among prospective chaplains than Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, part of the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. One out of every five Air Force…
Innkeepers found guilty for turning away gay couple
LONDON (RNS) — Two Christian innkeepers have been convicted of sexual discrimination for refusing to allow a gay couple to share a double room at their hotel in Cornwall, England. Peter and Hazelmary Bull also were ordered by the Bristol…
INTERVIEW: Evangelists’ son reflects on culture and Christians
When Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s PTL ministry and Heritage USA theme park crashed and burned in the 1980s, their son Jay was sent into a dizzying downward spiral of drugs, alcohol and running from God. Now the pastor of…