The ESV Study Bible has been named the “Christian Book of the Year” by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, marking the first time the honor has been given to a study Bible. The Bible, which is in the English Standard…
Religious broadcasters brace for uncertain future
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Digital podcasts and streaming video might bring Christian audiences inspirational messages in the future, but they aren’t bringing in the cash that broadcast ministries need to weather a painful economy. To make ends meet, religious broadcasters are…
Jimmy Carter: Christians have duty to pursue peace in Holy Land
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Former President Jimmy Carter’s recent book, We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan that Will Work, reviews the contributions of past U.S. presidents toward peace in Israel and Palestine, and advances his hopes that…
Death penalty opponents hope book about Texas case can help put an end to executions
NEW YORK (RNS)—Religious opponents of the death penalty hope a new book about a Texas death row case by a best-selling author can help their efforts to end the practice of state-sanctioned executions. Thomas Cahill’s just-published book, A Saint on…
Ministries offer help for Christians with porn addiction
FRESNO, Calif. (RNS)—Every February, SouthPoint Foursquare Church reminds young members that “True Love Waits,” as part of a global campaign launched by Southern Baptists that stresses abstinence until marriage. A few days after Valentine’s Day this year, 80 teenagers and…
American Muslims a diverse group
WASHINGTON—Muslims in America attend worship services weekly just as much as Protestant Americans. Among the nation’s faith groups, they are the most racially diverse. And they’re younger: more than a third of Muslim adults—36 percent—are between ages 18 and 29,…
Presidential prayer effort proves to be bipartisan
WASHINGTON (RNS)—A national grassroots network that came together after the 9/11 terrorist attacks for the sole purpose of praying for the president has lost more than 25,000 members since Barack Obama’s election last November. But more than 41,000 new members…
Fairness Doctrine still dead, but groups worry about possible return
WASHINGTON—A move to require broadcasters to provide equal time to all sides of controversial issues has religious radio programs worried, even though no formal proposal has been introduced and the White House likely wouldn’t support it. At issue is the…
National Baptists to choose between two candidates for convention president
(RNS) — Henry J. Lyons, the former president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, who was imprisoned on charges of fraud a decade ago, is one of two candidates running to be the convention’s next president this September. The other…
African-Americans more religious than most others in United States
WASHINGTON (RNS) — African-Americans surpass others in the United States in a range of expressions of faith, from praying more to attending religious services more frequently, a new report shows. “Compared with other racial and ethnic groups, African-Americans are among…
Survey finds religion a big deal in Mississippi, not so much in Vermont
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Want to be almost certain you’ll have religious neighbors? Move to Mississippi. Prefer the least religious state? Venture to Vermont. The importance of religion in people's lives varies from state to state. A recent Gallup Poll, based on more…
When it comes to religious fervor, it’s a small world after all, research shows
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Baptists in Tuscaloosa and Muslims in Tehran might not seem to have much in common, but Alabama and Iran agree on one thing—the importance of religion. Nearly identical percentages of people in both locations—82 percent of Alabamians and 83…