Former President Jimmy Carter has enthusiastically embraced the goals of an upcoming “New Baptist Covenant” conference in Atlanta which has the goal of reconciling various branches of baptist congregations.
Given the interest in emergent movements and how they might apply to Anglicans, The LA Times’ article on New Monasticism gives an unromanticized take on a movement that piques peoples’ imaginations over how to live more Christlike. Following two couples who spend a year together in a Billings, Mont. home, the article shows the highs and lows of aiming for simplicity and not knowing what to give up or how to reach out.
A small but growing portion of evangelical churches practice shunning and expulsion as a routine part of a common life which increasingly emphasizes discipline and conformity. There is no general agreement on how it should be carried out, says Gregory Wills, a theologian at Southern Baptist Theological seminary. He says that some pastors remove members on their own, while other churches require agreement among deacons or a majority vote from the congregation.
Last week, Beliefnet conducted an online poll of 980 self-identified “evangelical/born again” respondents, and it showed that 85 percent of respondents marked the economy and “cleaning up government” as top issues. While most still identify as conservative and express their views of the Bible as being “the inerrant word of God,” many would be surprised by what comes next
Are there nuts? As we learn more about allergies churches are adapting liturgical practices to accomodate those who have allergies. The Baltimore Sun reports: Communion
Gallup released the results of a poll on faith in America done earlier this month, and has a useful analysis of the importance of faith in the United States over the last few decades.
Christmas famously “comes but once a year.” In fact, however, it comes twice. The Christmas of the Nativity, the manger and Christ child, the wise
The Dallas Morning News reports that stores are almost out of a best selling Talking Jesus Messenger of Faith doll. The 12-inch doll is made
Starting in 2006 a number of clergy and congregations began to push back against the increasing commercialization of Christmas by inviting their members to consider giving gifts to charity instead. In the first year hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised. This year, about 491 churches from 10 nations have joined the conspiracy, says Jeanne McKinley, who directs the program from Imago Dei Community with her husband Rick.
Calling for tithing is becoming a subject of some controversy in a number of congregations according to an article today in the Wall Street Journal.