Greg Garrison
Greg Garrison is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Greg Garrison
Mother Angelica, Slowed by Strokes and Age, Continues to Draw Fans
By Greg Garrison — September 15, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service HANCEVILLE, Ala. _ The lines of people waiting to meet Mother Angelica at her monastery hinted at how beloved a figure she remains, though she hasn’t done a live TV show in years. “I think she’s a saint,” said Marlon Roa, 43, an American Airlines aircraft mechanic from Miami who […]
Smiling Houston Preacher Rockets to the Top With Upbeat Message
By Greg Garrison — September 1, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Sometime last year, it became apparent that Joel Osteen had hit the big time as one of America’s most popular preachers. In August 2004, the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston did a free appearance at the 18,000-seat Philips Arena in Atlanta and filled it beyond overflowing, with the […]
Alabama Pastor to Succeed Adrian Rogers at Renowned Southern Baptist Church
By Greg Garrison — July 14, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service GARDENDALE, Ala. _ With an emotional goodbye, the Rev. Steve Gaines, pastor of Gardendale First Baptist Church, told his congregation that he will be leaving to become pastor of renowned Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn.. “God’s work here will go on,” Gaines told the congregation Sunday night (July 10), […]
Medical Student Starts New Religion Claiming No Absolute Truths _ Universism
By Greg Garrison — May 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ Ford Vox started a religion in his spare time. He calls it Universism and is recruiting atheists, deists, freethinkers and others who can rally around the notion that no universal religious truth exists and that the meaning of existence must be determined by each individual. Vox, a […]
Christian Fiction Pioneer Tackles New `Monster’: Evolution
By Greg Garrison — May 17, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service PELHAM, Ala. _ Frank Peretti sat in the Amen Corner, a banjo on his lap, playing the theme song from “The Beverly Hillbillies.” He was at the Christian bookstore here promoting his latest horror novel, “Monster.” His first novel, “This Present Darkness,” has sold more than 2.5 million copies since […]
NEWS FEATURE: Lessons on the Lake: Boats, Biscuits and the Bible
By Greg Garrison — August 28, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service PELL CITY, Ala. _ As the pontoon boat bobbed back and forth on the ripples of Logan Martin Lake, Sunday school teacher Teresa Harris stood to begin her Bible lesson. First she reached into a picnic basket and began passing out hot sausage biscuits. Teenagers reached into coolers for cans […]
NEWS FEATURE: Health Ministry Reaches Beyond Healing to Wellness
By Greg Garrison — August 19, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service HOMEWOOD, Ala. _ When people visit Dawson Memorial Baptist Church here, they often go to run, lift weights and work out their bodies, as well as their worship and prayer lives. They also come to find out if they have cancer, diabetes or high blood pressure. Dawson Baptist has placed […]
NEWS FEATURE: Elvis Chaplain Brings a Little `Love Me Tender’ to the Hospital
By Greg Garrison — June 23, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service ANNISTON, Ala. _ Elvis impersonator Joseph Thomas was the first person to undergo open-heart bypass surgery at Regional Medical Center here. “They treated me like the king I am,” he said. Now Thomas walks around the hospital wearing his colorful jumpsuits, lamb-chop sideburns and dangling sterling silver jewelry, saying “Thank […]
NEWS FEATURE: Actor Stephen Baldwin Now Leading Christian Man
By Greg Garrison — May 29, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Before leaving for his 11-year-old daughter Alaia’s ballet recital, actor Stephen Baldwin had to fend off 8-year-old daughter Hailey, who began calling for him as he talked on the telephone with a reporter. “Tell your mother we’re going to leave in nine minutes,” he told Hailey. Soon, Baldwin was […]
NEWS FEATURE: Rabbi, Pastor Study Conflict, Reconciliation During Asian Sabbatical
By Greg Garrison — October 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ So this rabbi and this Baptist pastor from Alabama were walking in downtown Hanoi, and they kept seeing motorbikes carrying cages full of dogs on their way to be slaughtered for someone’s supper. No joke. “In Vietnam, they believe it’s good luck to eat dog at the […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Ten Commandments Symbolize the Sacred for Evangelicals
By Greg Garrison — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ To Alabama’s dominant evangelical Christian population, the Ten Commandments stand as a powerful symbol of the sacred, not a quaint myth about the origins of law. “Evangelical Christians, particularly here in Alabama, have a strong conviction that it’s part of biblically inspired Scripture,” said Don Hawkins, president […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Ten Commandments Symbolize the Sacred for Evangelicals
By Greg Garrison — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ To Alabama’s dominant evangelical Christian population, the Ten Commandments stand as a powerful symbol of the sacred, not a quaint myth about the origins of law. “Evangelical Christians, particularly here in Alabama, have a strong conviction that it’s part of biblically inspired Scripture,” said Don Hawkins, president […]
NEWS FEATURE: Evangelist T.D. Jakes Pens His First Novel
By Greg Garrison — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ Although he’s an old-fashioned, pulpit-pounding preacher who frequently has to wipe the sweat from his brow, evangelist T.D. Jakes brings the biblical message into a modern context. In his books and sermons, Jakes tackles issues such as child abuse, domestic violence, unhealthy sexual relationships and changing gender […]
NEWS FEATURE: Accused HealthSouth Executive Logged Pew Time, Donations
By Greg Garrison — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy, accused by federal investigators of overseeing massive accounting fraud, sat through many Sunday sermons on corporate ethics and the hazards of wealth, his pastor says. “Richard has been a part of our church and has heard and responded to strong messages about […]
NEWS FEATURE: `World’s Biggest Church Door’ Opens to Homeless
By Greg Garrison — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ Jesus said the meek would inherit the earth and the poor would get the kingdom of heaven. On a recent Sunday morning at the Church of the Reconciler, the homeless of Birmingham were willing to settle for salad and spaghetti. “They have good food here,” said Howard […]
