Significant majorities of Americans say it is possible to disagree with their religion’s teachings on abortion and homosexuality and still remain in good standing with their faith.
With violence flaring up in Sudan as the July 9 independence of South Sudan nears, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders have called on all Presbyterians to pray for peace in the east African country.
Elders, pastors and other church leaders attending the Big Tent’s National Elders Conference June 30-July 2 will receive the tools, resources and inspiration “to lead in healthy, bold and dangerous ways.”
Religious leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations are giving generally high marks to a United Nations AIDS meeting that set new targets to combat the continued spread of HIV/AIDS.
A new Gallup poll finds 92 percent of Americans say they believe in God, a figure that has dropped by only a few points since Gallup first asked the question in the 1940s.
The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People has approved grants totaling $150,430 to 9 self-help projects in the United States.
The money comes from the One Great Hour of Sharing offering. The grants were approved at SDOP’s national committee meeting here May 20-21.
Projects range from a transitional housing and mentoring project of and for men in addiction recovery to a worker-owned cooperative of Latino immigrants seeking to gain economic security and empowerment through cleaning services.
Organizers of the World Mission Matters conference at this year’s Big Tent want to make sure participants do just that — participate.
“World Mission doesn’t want to just have people come in and listen,” said Judson Taylor, communications associate for World Mission. “It’s two-way communication that we’re looking for.”
The conference will be focusing on three areas: justice, witness and reconciliation. Within that framework, participants will learn more about what the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its partners are doing in the world, but they’ll also have the opportunity to share their ideas and engage in dialogue.
The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) is looking forward to working with the faith communities in Africa on environmental issues, retired South African Anglican Bishop Geoffrey Davies said.
United Methodists will begin a trial today (June 21) against a Wisconsin minister who’s accused of breaking church rules by celebrating a same-sex marriage and being in a lesbian relationship.
It had been raining all week. I thought the rain on May 22, 2011 was just another rainy day like the others that week. But I was wrong; the rain turned into a raging tempest with a funnel cloud that roared through my North Minneapolis community, causing destruction at every turn.