Rachel Held Evans Is Memorialized at Funeral From Her Own Writings
(RNS) — After her unexpected death at age 37 at the beginning of May, Rachel Held Evans’ loved ones gathered Saturday (June 1) to remember her in a funeral service.
In St. Louis, ‘Grill to Glory’ Deploys Churches (and Hot Dogs) for Community Renewal
(RNS) — James Clark has a perfect recipe for getting to know your neighbors: Set up a grill. Light some charcoal. And put on some hot dogs.
Hospital Chaplains Stick to the Heart of the Job Amid Health Care Industry Changes
(RNS) - In the shift across all health care professions, from volume-based to value-based care, the goal is to promote services led to positive outcomes. Chaplains, too, are increasingly being rated by a wide range of measures: better outcomes, lower costs, and higher patient satisfaction.
Evangelical Financial Watchdog Faces Scrutiny Over Backing of Errant Megachurch
ECFA was founded 40 years ago to promote financial integrity in Christian ministries and claims nearly 2,400 members, But after its years-long failure to identify financial misdeeds at Chicago-area Harvest Bible Chapel, the organization itself faces scrutiny.
Getting in on — and Tossed out of — the Satanist Temple Joke
The Satanic Temple is what, on the internet, they call a “troll”: a spoof meant to raise hackles and call attention to potential loopholes in religious freedom laws designed to benefit the Christian right. Its most recent triumph was convincing the Internal Revenue Service that
WMU Street Ministry Shines Light in Prostitution Zone
RICHMOND, Va.(BP) -- A small group of volunteers gathers two nights a month in south Richmond, Va., to walk a mile-long strip of the city and minister to prostitutes and others they cross paths with along the way.
Southern Baptists Respond to Midwest Tornadoes, Flooding
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. (BP) -- Just days after devastating storms hit the Midwest earlier this week, Southern Baptists have mobilized to help homeowners and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the impacted areas.
Owners of Biblical Noah’s Ark Replica Sue Over Rain Damage
(USA Today) — The owner of the life-size replica of Noah’s Ark in Northern Kentucky has sued its insurers for refusing to cover rain damage.
In Central Africa, Islamist Militias Complicate Church Efforts to Battle Ebola
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — In North Kivu, an eastern province of Congo, church leaders are stepping up their fight to halt the advance of the Ebola epidemic, even as the Islamic State group increasingly makes its presence felt in the troubled region.
Refugees ‘People That Need Help,’ Simulation Shows
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- About 100 participants recently had to choose between fleeing with the one child in your arms or running amid gunfire in search of your other children. Fortunately for them, it was a simulation.