From Crossfire to the Cross
MEMPHIS (BP)-- Ronnie Johnson, pastor of Miracle of Redemption Church, Memphis, has been shot four times and stabbed seven times. "Of course I shot other folks too," the former Gangster Disciples member said.
From New York to Alabama, Blacks Worshipped in Own Spaces Before Slavery’s End
NEW YORK (RNS) — On a narrow street in Harlem sits the oldest black church in New York state, one of many black congregations that developed in the decades before slavery ended nationwide and that worked for its abolition.
Angela, a First African, Tells Her Story in Jamestown, but Her Faith Is a Mystery
JAMESTOWN, Va. (RNS) — Wearing a yellow headwrap, gray skirt and soiled apron, a woman who says she is “called by the name of Angela” stood by the James River and told her story, one of faith and courage, darkness and hope.
Conservative Christians Have a Porn Problem, Studies Show
Conservative Christians in the United States have a pornography problem, though it may not be the problem you think.
Senators Oppose Proposed Refugee Cuts on Religious Freedom Grounds
(RNS) — A bipartisan group of lawmakers has sent a letter to Trump administration officials calling on them not to reduce the refugee cap to zero.
NAMB Lawsuit Defends Ga. Church’s Ministry Expansion
CLARKSTON, Ga. (BP) -- A couple of old, uninhabitable farmhouses from the 1900s are in the spotlight of a lawsuit between the North American Mission Board and the City of Clarkston.
Churchgoers’ Need for Community Studied
NASHVILLE (BP) -- A LifeWay Research survey sponsored by the Center for Church Revitalization at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary found 3-in-4 Protestant churchgoers say they need other believers to help them to grow in their walk with God
Controversial Founders Ministries Video Leads to Board Resignations, #MeToo Concerns
(RNS) — Several board members have resigned from a neo-Calvinist evangelical group that released a trailer of a planned film linking prominent Southern Baptists with a conspiracy to promote social justice advocacy in evangelical churches.
SBU Admits Doctrinal Shortcoming, Doesn’t Release Details
Several months after creating a peer assessment committee to explore its issues of faith, learning, and doctrine, Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., announced the committee’s key finding, without specifying details, that the school had not clearly implemented its Statement of Faith across campus.
More Churches Are Checking the National Sex Offender Registry. Is It Helping?
(RNS) — More churches are using background checks that sift through more than 600 million felony, misdemeanor and traffic records, and perhaps most importantly, the nationwide sex offender registry. But experts say that may give churches and other religious groups a false sense of security