(RNS) Watching a church that you love shut down is hard. But a merger can get a church out of survival mode and focused on the future.
Author - Bob Smietana
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) On the surface, the fight was over the minutiae of Tennessee’s sunshine, or public notice, laws. But a thriving anti-Muslim movement in Tennessee fueled the fight.
(RNS) Biblical epics, such as the 1956 classic “The 10 Commandments,” featured white actors playing Moses and Pharaoh. That hasn't changed.
(RNS) The book’s authors are part of a loose network of writers, friends, theologians and pastors who apply the lessons of the slow food movement to congregational life.
(RNS) Coots, whose father is also a serpent-handling preacher, was a legendary figure among a small group of Pentecostal believers who practiced the so-called “signs of the gospel” found in Mark 16; among them taking up serpents.
(RNS) Pharmacist Phillip M. Hall, a Baptist, believes Plan B contraceptives cause abortions and he refused to dispense them.
(RNS) A small but growing number of American Christians have joined “health sharing ministries” -- faith-based alternatives to insurance.
(RNS) A grand jury decided not to indict the Rev. Andrew Hamblin, star of the National Geographic television series “Snake Salvation," on charges of violating a state ban on possessing venomous snakes.
(RNS) A growing group of bonnet and bloodsucker books combine two of today's best-selling genres: Amish romance and vampire tales.
(RNS) Tennessee wildlife regulations allow zoos to keep venomous snakes, but there is no provision for churches to have them. The Rev. Andrew Hamblin, co-star of the National Geographic series "Snake Salvation," says that violates his congregation’s...
(RNS) When she signed up on eHarmony, the website asked J. Dana Trent what faiths she’d be open to in a partner. She initially checked Christian and Jewish, and then, on a whim, added other faith traditions. That ended up including Fred Eaker, an...
(RNS) "We are not a church," atheists say. Government lawyers disagree, saying atheist leaders can be considered ministers.
(RNS) A dispute over a hymn has Presbyterians and Baptists tussling over the Christian doctrines of the atonement, which explain why Jesus died and whether his death satisfies God’s wrath over humankind’s sinfulness.
(RNS) The series will feature scenes from church services where worshipers handle snakes, as well as the day-to-day struggle to live out their faith.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) "In this case, the judge is creating a culture where she is imposing her religious beliefs on others," said Hedy Weinberg of the Tennessee ACLU. "And that is unacceptable."