Jimmy Allen, SBC Pres. & ‘Energetic Dreamer,’ Dies
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (BP) -- Jimmy Allen, the last moderate Southern Baptist Convention president and entity leader known for his gregarious personality and engagement with cultural issues, died Jan. 8 in Brunswick, Ga.
Slim Majority in U.S. Says Religion Very Important to Them
A slim majority (51 percent) of U.S. adults said religion is very important in their lives, according to a Gallup report published Dec. 24. With a plus-or-minus 4 percent sampling error, that number could be as high as 55 percent or as low as 47 percent.
Sexual Purity Movement Undaunted by New Critics
Twenty-five years after the True Love Waits movement was launched, an early leader in the purity movement says he does not "second-guess the rightness of the original message." Meanwhile, the latest critics of the TLW claim abstinence emphases by evangelical churches wrongly shame girls and cause them to view their bodies as threats.
Growing Chorus of Voices Are Reexamining the Purity Movement
There are a growing chorus of voices rethinking the purity movement and its lasting spiritual and psychological effects on a generation of believers. Among them is Joshua Harris, author of “I Kissed Dating Goodbye: A New Attitude Toward Romance and Relationships,” the 1997 book that became the de facto bible of the purity movement.
Christian Workers in Somalia Worship in Secret, Fear al-Shabab
MOGADISHU, Somalia (RNS) — In a small single-room house in the Banaadir district of Somalia, dozens of Christians worship in secret out of fear of persecution in a country where no official churches exist.
Clemson Coach Chavis Recounts Radical Transformation
CLEMSON, S.C. (BP) -- Despite being a big-time college football player headed to the NFL, Miguel Chavis was on a path to destruction. Self-centered and vile. Hedonistic and drunk. A tough brute who partied hard and pursued every fleeting pleasure he could think of.
Redesigning Sacred Spaces to Serve Their Communities — and Save Their Congregations
PHILADELPHIA (RNS) — the crowd at the Philadelphia Center for Architecture was packed in, clergy shoulder to shoulder with architects, ordinary citizens with community organizers. They gathered to see the results of Infill Philadelphia, a design competition hosted in the city to improve community spaces.
Baptists, Catholics Hold Highest Number of Seats in the 116th U.S. Congress
Catholics and Baptists hold the most seats among Christian adherents in the 116th U.S. Congress, according to Pew Research Center data released on Jan. 3.
Ala. Football Players Give Boost to Local Ministry
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (BP) -- Alabama running back Josh Jacobs and three other Crimson Tide football players provided a pleasant surprise for a 13-year-old boy while delivering a mattress and bed to a Tuscaloosa home in partnership with Calvary Baptist Church's S.D. Allen Ministry.
What’s Coming for Religion in 2019? Here’s What the Experts Predict.
(RNS) — 2018 saw wave after wave of new revelations about the extent of the Catholic Church's sex abuse crisis. It saw deadly hate crimes, state-sponsored persecution against China's Uighur Muslims, #MeToo moments, critical milestones for religious minorities on Capitol Hill, and the specter of schism among United Methodists and other Christian denominations. Several faith leaders were asked what they saw happening over the next 12 months.