ARLINGTON, Va. (RNS) — For James Govan, Christmas starts before Thanksgiving and doesn’t end until early in February as he displays some of his 500 nativity scenes around his home in Arlington, Va. “I keep telling people it’s a disease…
For some, creches are big business
ARLINGTON, Va. (RNS) — For James Govan, Christmas starts before Thanksgiving and doesn’t end until early in February as he displays some of his 500 nativity scenes around his home in Arlington, Va. “I keep telling people it’s a disease…
California pastor drops death wish against Obama; calls for treason trial
BUENA PARK, Calif. (RNS) — Pastor Wiley Drake, the Southern Baptist minister who has publicly prayed for the death of President Obama, has changed his mind — but only because he wants to see the president live long enough to…
Real-life mom talks about portrayal in just-released film, “The Blind Side”
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — In the new movie The Blind Side, Sandra Bullock plays real-life Memphis mother Leigh Ann Tuohy, a woman whose family is turned upside down when she spots Michael Oher — a young boy who has left…
Soul-searching evangelicals look toward nonpolitical future
SOUTH HAMILTON, Mass. (RNS) — Repentant for having spent a generation bowing at the altars of church growth and political power, concerned evangelicals gathered recently to search the soul of their movement and find a new way forward. That evangelicals,…
Evangelicals look at future
SOUTH HAMILTON, Mass. (RNS) — Repentant for having spent a generation bowing at the altars of church growth and political power, concerned evangelicals gathered recently to search the soul of their movement and find a new way forward. That evangelicals,…
Physicians give chaplains a clean bill of health
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Science and faith often may clash, but a new survey suggests most American doctors believe religion and spirituality can help patients. Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the survey found 90 percent of physicians are satisfied with spiritual…
Some Christians unplug from social networking
WASHINGTON (RNS)—In the world of faith-based social networking, evangelical Christian leader Mark Oestreicher commanded a huge chunk of cyberspace. Known as “Marko,” the technological hipster amassed 4,000 Facebook friends, 1,500 Twitter followers and 2,000 daily readers of his blog. But…
Activists on left, right share faith but differ dramatically on everything else
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A new report confirmed long-held assumptions about religious activists from the left and right. The only thing both sides seem to have in common — faith — is a more important part of their lives than among the…
Values voters at annual summit see little value in health care reform
WASHINGTON — Health care reform may be Priority No. 1 in Congress and at the White House, but for the 1,825 religious conservatives who gathered for the annual Values Voter Summit, the subject was barely on their radar screen. Indeed,…
Muslims pray for ‘soul of America’ at U.S. Capitol in first ever event
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Swapping prayer rugs for massive plastic rain tarps, an estimated 3,500 Muslims gathered at the foot of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 25 to pray for “the soul of America” in a grassroots demonstration of religious and…
Seeking allies for Israel, Jews reach out to Latino evangelicals
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Early on a weekday morning, dozens of Latino evangelical leaders stream into a large church on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Greeting one another in Spanish, they sip coffee and share pastries until they are informed…