Jerusalem Tax Spat Pits Heaven Against Earth
JERUSALEM (RNS) - An ethereal city graced with sunlight so bright it turns the white stone skyline gold at sunset, Jerusalem is also an earthbound city whose teachers must be paid and whose garbage must be collected.
Appalachian Pastor’s 54 Years of ‘Enduring Ministry’
PIPPA PASSES, Ky. (BP) -- At a time when the tenures of most pastors is measured in single digits, Lawrence Baldridge is an anomaly, having served Caney Baptist Church in the heart of Appalachia for 54 years.
Baptists Stepping up Efforts to Help Appalachia
ASHLAND, Ky. (BP) -- In the Appalachians, unemployment, poverty and drug abuse remain rampant. But Southern Baptists are stepping up their efforts to help residents impacted by the stark conditions.
Rwanda Closes Hundreds of Churches and Arrests Pastors
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — A move by Rwanda to shut down more than 700 churches in its capital city, allegedly for building safety, hygiene and noise violations, is prompting accusations that the government of President Paul Kagame is trampling on religious freedom.
Identity Comes from Christ, Not Athletic Ranking
As a young athlete, Anthony Allen set his sights on winning the Mr. Spartan trophy, an award given by his junior high school to a three-sport athlete who excelled in competition. Now? “If that’s all there is to life, life can be pretty disappointing.”
Interfaith Film Misses Oscar, but Raises Hope in Africa
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) – It didn’t bring home an Oscar this week, but a film nominated for one is helping to spread a message that many Africans said is too rarely heard: that people from different religious groups on the continent can be each other’s heroes.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies Announces Space for Grace 2018
VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS)—Building on the highly successful Los Angeles Space for Grace national gathering in 2015, American Baptist Home Mission Societies will sponsor Space for Grace 2018: “Thy Will Be Done,” Nov. 14-16, 2018, in Philadelphia, featuring author and theologian Walter Brueggemann as keynote presenter.
College Students Gather to PAUSE
Meeting Feb. 9-11 with the theme “Community, Reconciliation and the Mission of God,” students from colleges in the region gathered at Windermere Baptist Conference Center for the annual PAUSE college retreat.
Nursing Homes Medicating Residents for Convenience
Many U.S. nursing home residents with a form of dementia are being medicated without informed consent, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Feb. 5.
A Preacher to Millions Took Comfort in a Local Church Pastor
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (RNS) — If Billy Graham was “America’s pastor,” as so many headlines pronounced following his death, who was Billy Graham’s pastor?