Beware of the Backpack
This summer, while vacationing in Yellowstone National Park, I noticed how many tourists were carrying backpacks. I learned the hard way that not everyone who straps on one of these totes is socially responsible.
Pastors Less Optimistic About Economy’s Impact on Churches
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- As retail stores hope the holiday shopping season gives their bottom line a lift, American Protestant pastors are less sure the economy is helping their congregation this year.
Paradox of Living in Christian Community
1 John was written because people within the church John was affiliated with were having a hard time liking, let alone loving, each other. This is the paradox of the Christian life: God chooses to love people who are sometimes unlovable and then asks them
Word&Way Launches Partnership with Venezuelan Baptists
Word&Way has started a partnership with Luminar Bautista, the media arm of Venezuelan Baptists. Luminar Bautista, which started in 1951, means “Baptist Light.”
Relic Thought to Be From Jesus’ Manger Arrives in Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — A tiny wooden relic that some Christians believe to be part of Jesus' manger arrived Saturday in its permanent home in the biblical city of Bethlehem 1,400 years after it was sent to Rome as a gift to the pope.
Will the World End With a Bang, a Whimper — or Christ?
(RNS) — The scripture readings for the First Sunday of Advent speak to us of the second coming of Christ (not the coming of baby Jesus at Christmas). This is not an imaginary exercise, either, because Jesus is coming, we just don't know when.
Retiring NAE Head Leith Anderson: Evangelicals Not Just White or Political
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Leith Anderson is a fan of the word "evangelical" and the Christians who claim that name. But he knows the term may have outlived its usefulness in a polarized country where evangelical has often become a synonym for conservative Republican.
U.S. Non-Christians: One-Third Call Evangelicals Narrow-Minded
Non-Christians in the U.S. are more likely than the national average to have a negative perception of evangelicals, according to a Barna Group report published Nov. 21. The top three descriptors: Narrow-minded, homophobic, and puritanical.
Henri Nouwen on Celebrating the Holidays — and Every Day
(RNS) — Celebration is what we are called to. We are called to practice joy by celebrating. Celebration doesn't mean to celebrate only the good moments. Ecstatic joy embraces all of life and does not shy from painful moments, departures and even death.
Temporary Tattoos & Bible Memorization
I always tell people I’m terrible at memorizing things. But that’s not the whole truth. I used to be great at memorizing all kinds of things growing up. But as I’ve gotten older, I struggle.