Kristen Campbell
Kristen Campbell is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Kristen Campbell
Ordination of Woman for Baptist Church Raises Eyebrows
By Kristen Campbell — October 12, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service MOBILE, Ala. _ Growing up, Ellen Guice Sims said it never crossed her mind to think a woman could be a pastor. “It was even farther away than feeling shut out,” she said. “It was not even a question.” That was then. Last May, Sims was ordained in the American […]
Pastor Holds On to Remnant of Fractured Denomination
By Kristen Campbell — September 13, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service MADISON, Ala. _ A little more than 10 years ago, Paul Kurts pastored a congregation of 200 close-knit members. Today, his flock sometimes numbers as few as 20 _ and he’s never been happier. New Life Christian Fellowship, the remnant of his original congregation of Worldwide Church of God, is […]
Meet the Face of the New Catholic Reformation
By Kristen Campbell — September 6, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service DECATUR, Ala. _ Ashley Reynolds, 28, speaks softly, smiles easily, prays often, and crochets beautiful scarves for the homeless. She’s a peaceful woman of faith, an earnest seminary student and a fervent member of an ancient Catholic order of voluntarily sequestered laypeople who dedicate their lives to study and prayer. […]
Can’t Make It to Church? Take God With You
By Kristen Campbell — June 27, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Maybe you’re vacationing on a desert island. Perhaps you have to travel at an inopportune time. Perchance the dog ate your alarm clock. Bottom line: You can’t make it to congregational worship. What’s a believer to do? For starters, some say, don’t sweat it. “The Sabbath was, as Jesus […]
For Men in Church, Problems Start With Flowers and Lace
By Kristen Campbell — June 8, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Men don’t need pirates in the pews. Then again, the presence of such swashbucklers might not be the worst thing to happen Sunday morning. So goes the thinking of David Murrow, author of “Why Men Hate Going to Church.” “We don’t have to have hand-to-hand combat during the worship […]
Internet Links Prayer Chains Around the World
By Kristen Campbell — May 13, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) How fast does a prayer travel? From a Florida hospital, parents sent out a cry for help for their 2-year-old daughter, facing chemotherapy to treat an inoperable tumor that had grown to the size of a cantaloupe. From Florida to Michigan their e-mail message went. From Michigan to Canada, […]
Editors: To obtain photos of Franklin Graham, go to the RNS Web site at religionnews.com. On the
By Kristen Campbell — May 3, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service MOBILE, Ala. _ Franklin Graham should have parked his dirt bike when he had the chance. “I’m praying that the Lord will do something to get your attention _ break your leg or put you in the hospital,” Ruth Graham told her son, who was skipping church to enter Sunday […]
Spiritual `Magic Elf’ Serves as Interactive Advent Calendar
By Kristen Campbell — December 3, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) At first glance, your confusion can be forgiven: He’s an elf! He’s an angel! He’s Santa Claus! The Magic Elf, 12 inches from the bottoms of his pointy green boots to the top of his faux-fur-rimmed stocking cap, depicts all three in one. He has the Santa beard, the […]
NEWS FEATURE: `Sunday Best’ Changing as Casual Creeps Up on Church-Going Clothing
By Kristen Campbell — August 7, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service MOBILE, Ala. _ Seersucker and see-through, suits and ties and tie-dyed, feathered hats and baseball caps: On Sunday morning, you can see it all. And it marks a change for Mary “Mickie” Jernigan, who recalls when church fashions were different. These days, Jernigan, who is in her 70s, said she […]
NEWS FEATURE: Good v. Evil Comes to the Multiplex
By Kristen Campbell — July 7, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Stories of epic struggles between right and wrong are coming _ and not just to a pulpit near you. From “Spider-Man 2” and “King Arthur” to “Troy” and “Fahrenheit 9/11,” themes of good and evil abound at the multiplex this summer. “Movies are modern parables,” said David DiCerto, media […]
NEWS FEATURE: Gifts To Nourish The Graduate’s Soul
By Kristen Campbell — May 29, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service (UNDATED) ‘Tis the season for graduation, and while you can’t go wrong with practical gifts like laundry bags and quarters, sometimes you’re looking for something a little more ethereal. Still, shopping for the intangible can be tricky. Here are 10 graduation gift ideas that will nourish the soul. Milk and […]
NEWS FEATURE: A Stitch Over Time Yields New `Creation’ Kneelers
By Kristen Campbell — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service MOBILE, Ala. _ In the space of six days, the Book of Genesis says, God created the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land, creatures of the sea, birds of the air, and, of course, humankind. Depicting the divine effort with needle and thread took members of […]
NEWS FEATURE: Pastors Ponder Absence of Young Adults From Church
By Kristen Campbell — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service MOBILE, Ala. _ It’s not that they don’t care. In a recent study, 80 percent of people in their 20s said their faith is very important in their lives. Nearly 60 percent claimed to have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. Three-fourths of the age group told Ventura, Calif.-based […]
The Looming War Comes Home to Clergy Families
By Kristen Campbell — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service MOBILE, Ala. _ The call came on a recent Sunday night. Second Lt. David Anderson told his mom and dad he had received deployment orders for Operation Enduring Freedom that afternoon. But he couldn’t tell them where he’d be going, or when. That information was classified. The next day, Anderson’s […]
NEWS FEATURE: Using Bible’s Cain and Abel to Help Kids Cope With Violence
By Kristen Campbell — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service MOBILE, Ala. _ The images are inescapable. Bombs exploding in Baghdad. Anti-aircraft fire lighting up the night sky. Tanks trekking across the Iraqi desert. When children ask about contemporary conflict, Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso turns to a story that’s thousands of years old. It’s a tale of two brothers, Cain […]
