By Kimberly Winston (RNS) Last month, Lauren Anderson Youngblood, communications manager for the Secular Coalition for America, approached Broderick Johnson, a senior adviser to the Obama campaign, as they both left a conference on religion and the election. The SCA is an umbrella group representing 11 nontheistic organizations. So who, Youngblood asked Johnson, could she […]

By Bob Allen A group of African-American leaders in North Carolina has called out evangelist Franklin Graham a second time for attempting to raise doubts about whether President Obama is a Christian. A seven-page, 2,500-word letter on the NAACP of North Carolina website accused the CEO of the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelical Association of using […]

By Carol Pipes Nearly 90 percent of pastors believe they should not endorse candidates for public office from the pulpit, according to a recent survey by LifeWay Research. The survey also revealed that 44 percent of pastors personally endorsed candidates, but did so outside of their church role. The survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors found […]

DENVER/Christian Newswire – More than 300 evangelism leaders gathered in Denver this week for “Denver 2012: Make Love Your Aim.” The event opened Monday with a prayer gathering focused around the “Cape Town Confession” – ten “We believe” statements from the Cape Town Commitment, which resulted from Cape Town 2010, The Third Lausanne Congress on […]

By Russ Rankin NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Making personal, sacrificial decisions in order to better obey Christ is a key attribute to an individual’s spiritual growth, according to a survey of American churchgoers by LifeWay Research. Yet, the study also found less than one-third of churchgoers strongly agree they are following through in specific aspects of […]

A 17-year battle over the right for New York City churches to rent and use public school buildings for weekend worship services appears to have come to a close – at least for the time being. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska issued a permanent injunction on June 29 against the New York Department of Education, […]

(RNS) The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association removed language labeling Mormonism a “cult” from its website after the famed preacher met with Republican nominee Mitt Romney last week and pledged to help his presidential campaign. The removal came after a gay rights group reported that the “cult” reference remained online even after Graham all but endorsed […]

Proponents and detractors alike say cowboy churches are here to stay. By Jeff Brumley Charles Higgs is all too familiar with the smirks and jokes generated when talk turns to cowboy churches. Images of worship in rodeo arenas, preachers on horseback and baptisms in cattle troughs also elicit criticism – especially so when cowboy churches […]

The number of congregations that host worship services at more than one physical location has grown to more than 5,000 in the last decade, according to a Leadership Network report. Researchers say these “multisite” churches, which may share worshippers across town or many miles apart, are growing at a much larger pace than traditional megachurches. […]

With the addition of Seattle-based Mars Hill Church as its newest member, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) now numbers a record-breaking 1,700 churches and Christ-centered nonprofits in its accreditation. ECFA has grown from 1,500 accredited organizations in the last18 months. Dan Busby, ECFA president, says, “By meeting the stringent criteria ECFA applies to all […]