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  Seeing the Big Picture

  As America's centuries-old denominational patterns unravel, can churches retain theological integrity and still find common ground with people who hold differing beliefs?

  11/11/2011 - By Administrator

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  Does Calvinism extol God’s glory or make him a moral monster?

  Two new books from Zondervan– including one by Roger Olson, professor at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary– debate the pros and cons of the theological basis for Calvinism.

  11/11/2011 - By Administrator

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  Salem witch trials get another look in new documentary

  A new documentary film about the infamous Salem witch trials–Salem Witch Hunt: Examine the Evidence— stirring fresh debate by heaping blame on the local minister, Samuel Parris.

  11/10/2011 - By Administrator

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  Faith Digest

  American congregations have grown less healthy in the last decade, with fewer people in the pews and aging memberships, according to a new Hartford Seminary study.

  11/10/2011 - By Administrator

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  Holy Smoke: Disrespect for the dead or a last blast for shooters?

  When he dies, Clem Parnell expects his soul to ascend heavenward. But he wants his ashes loaded into a shotgun shell and blasted at a turkey.

  10/27/2011 - By Administrator

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  Face of poverty is often a child’s, charities report

  Across the United States, rising numbers of children are coping with the stressors of economic hardship. Religious groups tha help them are trying to be resourceful despite slumping donations in uncertain economic times.

  10/27/2011 - By Administrator

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  Faith Digest: Death penalty opposition up

  More than one-third of Americans now oppose the death penalty—the highest level in nearly 40 years—according to a new Gallup Poll. Moreover, those who believe the death penalty is being applied fairly and those who say it isn't used often enough are at the lowest levels in a decade.

  10/26/2011 - By Administrator

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  Was Christopher Columbus really on a religious crusade?

  Two recent books argue explorers Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama were more like Christian crusaders than greedy mercenaries or curious adventurers. Other historians, however, remain skeptical.

  10/21/2011 - By Administrator

• Shreveport declares Maggie Lee for Good Day

  Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover next Tuesday officially will proclaim Oct. 29 as “Maggie Lee For Good Day.” Maggie Lee Henson died in 2009 at age 12 from traumatic brain injuries sustained in a bus crash on the way to church camp with First Baptist Church in Shreveport.

  10/21/2011 - By Ken Camp

• Faith Digest

  New research by the Barna Group finds young people view churches as judgmental, overprotective, exclusive and unfriendly towards doubters. They also consider congregations antagonistic to science and say their Christian experience has been shallow.

  10/19/2011 - By Administrator

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  Safe and secure from all alarm

  By definition, a "sanctuary" should be a place of refuge and protection where people feel welcome and feel safe. In practice, churches struggle with what it means to open their doors to everyone while providing a sense of security for people inside their walls.

  10/07/2011 - By Administrator

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  Civil War changed Americans’ view of Providence, historian says

  Americans in 1860s viewed the Civil War through the lens of God at work in human affairs—a lens left shattered by that bloody conflict, according to historian George Rable.

  10/06/2011 - By Administrator