Lessons from the Storm
Just when I thought my life was calm, predictable, and manageable, an AF-3 tornado ripped through our city with winds up to 160 mph. So much for the arrogant assumption that we are in charge of our lives.
The Bible as Shield & Weapon
We are not going to be able to just come together over racial justice, have Kumbaya moments, and really expect for anything to get done. If we really want to rid ourselves from the sin of racism — that hurts non-white people and white people
Poll: Americans Rarely Seek Guidance from Clergy
A large majority of Americans make important decisions without calling on religious leaders for advice, according to a new survey released Monday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Calif. Quakes Prompt Southern Baptist Response
RIDGECREST, Calif. (BP) -- A group of local, church volunteers had finished a day of cleaning up and repairing damage to Immanuel Baptist Church, Ridgecrest, Calif., following a 6.4 earthquake on July 4. The next night, the 7.1 earthquake undid their hard work and then
Religion in School Can Be Complicated. So Teachers Went to Class.
For six days, a group of Maryland teachers of all grade levels tour some of the Washington area’s religious institutions, and meet with experts who teach them about the difference between Catholic and Protestant, Sunni and Shiite, atheist and agnostic.
The Lord Fights for Israel
Joshua is an amazing testimony of how God worked in the lives of a people (Israel) who lived in a world that expected God to fit its ideas and deliver success. Sometimes it is a challenge to really see God through the filter of this
Which Way Will We March?
In the book The Last Week, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan suggest that on that Palm Sunday there were actually two processions entering Jerusalem. "The two processions, they state, "embody the central conflict of the week that led to Jesus’s crucifixion.”
Churches Least Likely to Embrace Diverse Opinions, Adults Say
Looking for an institutions open to a diversity of perspectives? In a recent Pew Research Center study of adults, churches ranked last among five choices: churches and religious organizations; colleges and universities; community colleges; K-12 public schools; and local communities.
‘May God Bless You’: Evangelical Pastors’ Hidden Role in Human Smuggling’s Boom
Guatemala is one of the biggest sources of migrants to the US, and across the highlands of this poor Central American country, churches and clergymen also play a role in the booming business of people-smuggling.
Truck Crash Destroys Sanctuary, Unifies Church
KILLEN, Ala. (BP) -- Pastor Ronny Jones will never forget the day a flatbed tractor-trailer truck crashed into the side of First Baptist Church Center Star, in Killen, Ala. The sanctuary was a total loss.