For two decades, Southern Baptists have been so busy fighting about the Bible that they’ve been some of the only church folks who weren’t fighting about sex. Those days are gone. A band of conservatives recently broke away from the moderate Baptist General Convention of Texas and formed a new body called the Southern Baptists of Texas. The rebels said the BGCT wasn’t tough enough on abortion and homosexuality. “We’ve got to get away from this thing of getting away... Read more

He always took the early, slow train from Oxford, so he could say his prayers and enjoy the scenery before he arrived at the tiny station at the foot of the Malvern Hills. C.S. Lewis rarely tinkered with the details of these trips, since the goal was always the same — to walk and talk with friends. He wore a rumpled tweed jacket with the obligatory leather elbow patches, baggy wool pants, walking shoes and an old hat. He had... Read more

It didn’t take long for Phil Vischer to create the following prime directive for his computer-animation studio: “We will not portray Jesus as a vegetable.” The folks at Big Idea Productions will do just about anything for a laugh when creating their VeggieTales versions of Bible stories. But Vischer is committed to keeping a safety zone between the sacred and the hip, even while Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and friends storm the kid-video castles of Disney, Viacom, Newscorp... Read more

Two years ago, Christians were sold as slaves for as little as $15 in Southern Sudan. This statement is no longer accurate, but not because the Khartoum regime has stopped trying to bomb, massacre, starve, rape, torture and kidnap Christians, animists and even other Muslims into submission. No, fluctuations in currency rates have simply raised the price to $50 or $75. “When we go in to buy people’s freedom, we budget $100 per slave to pay for the whole operation,... Read more

It’s another day at the mall multiplex, where hip witches are looking for love, Oprah’s fighting her demons, free will and sin are invading a suburban utopia and vampires are being born again, more or less. Moviegoers also have the option right now of going to heaven and hell with superstar Robin Williams in “What Dreams May Come.” The big news in this latest “Hollywood Heaven” opus is that some gatekeepers in America’s dream factory are trying to take eternity... Read more

She likes pipe organs, chants, kneeling, candles and incense. He wants to sway in the aisle with his hands lifted while the praise band plays a rock anthem from the Contemporary Christian Music sales charts. He likes a preacher who stands in a pulpit and, for 40-plus minutes, dissects a biblical passage to reveal each and every nuance. She likes someone who strolls about, with a wireless lapel microphone, chatting about how God touches people’s daily lives and dreams. The... Read more

Try to imagine what would have happened if Bill Clinton was a world-famous pastor. What if he led a thriving evangelical megachurch, was the author of Christian bestsellers and the key to TV-ministry ratings? Or what if he was the bishop of a prestigious diocese, a prophetic voice for social justice and crucial to a progressive power structure? Then it happens. Someone claims this leader has had a sexual affair, perhaps even with someone under his pastoral care. But the... Read more

Before he answered the Los Angeles Times’ questions, the Rev. Oral Roberts wanted to ask some questions of his own. The mid-1980s were turbulent times for televangelists and veteran religion writer Russell Chandler was probing the state of his ministry and finances. So Roberts wanted some details about the journalist’s life and beliefs and he wouldn’t settle for a summary of his academic and professional credentials. “Are you a Christian?”, he asked, as the tape rolled. “Do you believe on... Read more

Just because the early church taught that certain doctrines were true doesn’t mean the modern church can’t change and preach something else, according to the Arkansas bishop who is a key figure in a global Anglican dispute. The early church had opinions about truth. Now, the modern church has opinions of its own, said the Rt. Rev. Larry Maze, preaching recently to a regional gathering of Integrity, the Episcopal Church’s official gay-rights lobby. But opinions, even ancient ones, remain opinions... Read more

The Rev. Charles Sineath wasn’t surprised when a close friend responded to a cancer diagnosis by soberly focusing on defeating that tumor. A serious response was appropriate, in a life-and-death crisis. Try to imagine the response he would have received, said the pastor, if he had cheerily told his friend: “Why are you focusing on that prostate that is malignant? After all, your eyes are healthy, your hearing is good, your hair is in good shape, your teeth are sound,... Read more