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Feelings of "American exceptionalism" remain strong in the U.S., but the nation has become exceptional in "problematic ways," according to Philip Alston, United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (BP) -- Jerry Walls has enjoyed three decades of a prosperous and peaceful pastorate of Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins, Ga.

But with Alabama and Georgia colliding on Jan. 8 for the College Football Playoff National Championship, Walls and the Southside family are facing a challenge unlike any they've encountered together. It's a challenge some might think could threaten the harmony that has characterized the church.

(RNS) — A few years ago I went to the grocery store and ran into some cultists.

They didn’t look like end-times cultists at the time. Instead, they appeared to be do-gooders — warmhearted local volunteers who were rescuing kittens.

AUGUSTA, Kan. (BP) -- For bivocational pastor Don Mayberry, it's not uncommon to go from counseling a vice president of the international auto supply company to sitting atop his horse and sharing the story of Joseph with local ranchers and cowboys -- all within a few hours.

WASHINGTON (RNS) — After lawsuits and a Supreme Court decision, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued a new policy extending disaster relief to churches, synagogues and other congregations.

(The Conversation) — Traveling in the new year? It is very likely there is a chapel or meditation room tucked away somewhere in one of the airports you’ll pass through. Sixteen of the country’s 20 largest airports have chapels, as do many more around the world.

(RNS) — The Lancaster Mennonite Conference, the largest group of Mennonite congregations in the U.S., has officially separated from the broader Mennonite community after a long-term disagreement over sexuality and the church.

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS) — The two new Associate General Secretaries working with the American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) Office of the General Secretary ministry team were in Valley Forge, Pa., to begin their positions on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. Rev. Marsha Scipio joins the organization in the role of Associate General Secretary for Missional Initiatives and Partnerships, and Rev. Dr. Kevin A. Walden begins his service as Associate General Secretary for Congregational and Pastoral Effectiveness.

Fireworks, church celebrations and octopus dumplings are some of the ways countries around the world marked New Year's Eve in descriptions and images gathered by The Associated Press' writers and photographers.

 Here are the ten most read pieces on the Word&Way website in 2017. Thanks for stopping by and we hope to see you around a lot in 2018!