The ink had barely dried on Maine Gov. John Baldacci’s signature legalizing gay marriage in May when Catholic and evangelical opponents began circulating a petition for a “people’s veto” to override lawmakers with a simple majority at the ballot box….
Megachurches attract many under 45
Megachurches are most attractive to younger adults, and almost all who arrive at their sanctuaries have darkened a church’s door before, a new survey shows. The study by Leadership Network and Hartford Institute for Religion Research, released June 9 found…
BAPTIST BRIEFS
Alliance urges end to Cuba travel ban. The Alliance of Baptists applauded President Obama for loosening restrictions on American’s travel to Cuba and called for more reform during the group’s recent convocation in Charlotte, N.C. The Alliance welcomed the president’s…
For churches, a right and wrong way to cut staff
LAKELAND, Fla. (RNS)—As many congregations grapple with declining contributions, some faith communities are following the lead of cash-strapped corporations by laying off employees. But the stakes are higher, congregational leaders say, when you’re putting someone’s spiritual leader out on the…
Economic woes give churches a reason to go green
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Mary Miller used to have trouble getting fellow members of Wilmore United Methodist Church in Kentucky to go green. But as it turns out, a sour economy was an unlikely answer to prayer. As the economy shrank, so did…
Smorgasbord religion on the rise throughout United States
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Friday afternoons find Ann Holmes Redding at the Al-Islam Center in Seattle, reciting Muslim prayers. Come Sunday, she heads about two miles south to kneel in the pews of St. Clement’s of Rome Episcopal Church. “My experience…
Religious groups mobilize to keep alleviating poverty a priority in D.C.
The group, The Mobilization to End Poverty, plans to bring thousands of religious and community activists to Washington later this month to urge President Obama to make the poor a priority and continue his goal of reducing domestic poverty by…
Will proposed tax plan hurt churches? Maybe; maybe not
WASHINGTON (RNS) — President Obama’s proposed 2010 federal budget contains a 7 percent cut in charitable tax deductions for the nation’s wealthiest taxpayers. Some religious groups are asking how that will affect their bottom line. The answer: It depends who…
SECOND OPINION: Saying no to Sunday church
For five decades and in growing numbers, American Christians have been saying no to Sunday church. I think it is time we listened. We have labeled them “unchurched,” “nonbelievers,” “former Christians,” “happy pagans,” “lost,” and a “mission field” that’s “ripe…