Word&Way’s Most-Read Pieces of 2019
Kenya, Somalia, and Bolivar, Mo. Civility, and suicide. Here are the ten most read pieces on the Word&Way website in 2019.
Where Will the Next Decade Take Religion? Experts Predict the Future of Faith
(RNS) — The past 10 years have witnessed monumental demographic shifts in the U.S., catastrophic natural disasters and new urgency on climate change, and a reckoning on sex abuse among religious groups. What will the next decade hold?
10 Religious Influencers Who Died in the Decade: 2010-2019
(RNS) — Over the last decade, prominent people — household names and lesser-known leaders on social and moral issues — died after playing an outsized role in the realm of religion.
Virginia Pastors Give Over $17,000 to Pay Student Meal Debts
STAFFORD, Va. (AP) — The holidays came early for some Virginia families struggling to pay school lunch debt.
Impeachment Debate Suggests Shifting Religious and Political Winds
(RNS) — Several recent examples demonstrate an atypically religious — and particularly Christian — impeachment process, with lawmakers, faith leaders and even members of the same famous evangelical family invoking the Almighty while making the case for and against the president.
Blue Christmas: Ministry to First Responders
(WW) -- With victims of fires holding a special place in her heart, Nebraska firefighter Carissa Smith began a local ministry targeted to help the victims of fires and disasters, as well as the first responders who work those tough scenes.
Report: Social Safety Nets Effective in Reducing Poverty
Economic security programs, also known as social safety nets, have been vital in efforts to reduce poverty over the past 50 years, according to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report published in late November.
Baptist Friendship House Marks 75 Years as a Beacon of Hope in the Heart of New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS — Baptist Friendship House has stood as a beacon of hope in the heart of New Orleans for 75 years. Changing ministries to meet the city's greatest needs, according to Executive Director Kay Bennett, has “kept it alive and vibrant as it has
Houses of Worship Attacked with Deadly Frequency in 2019
The slaughter at a Protestant church in Burkina Faso earlier this month gained brief reports by international news outlets, then quickly faded from the spotlight — not surprising in a year where attacks on places of worship occurred with relentless frequency.
Woman Buys 1,500 Pairs of Shoes, Inspires Ark. Town
ALMA, Ark. (BP) -- Carrie Jernigan recently took her kids shoe shopping for an upcoming family vacation. Her daughter, Harper, brought a pair of Avenger shoes to her for a friend with shoes that were too tight and had holes. She ended up buying all