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Destroyed churches cannot take up collections, at least not to the degree needed to pay pastors’ salaries and meet other needs, says United Methodist bishop William W....

In Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, President Bush may be able to push through Congress a pet project that has been stymied for four years now—a wide-ranging federal school voucher program....

New rules that would bar gays from the Roman Catholic priesthood have been submitted to Pope Benedict XVI for approval, signaling a push for tightened regulations as the church prepares to review t...

Philadelphia’s two most recent cardinals came under blistering criticism in a grand jury report released last month, but prosecutors said limitations in state law prohibit the filing of charges....

Chris Glaser, a longtime advocate in Presbyterian circles for ordination of openly gay and lesbian pastors, was ordained this month in Decatur, Georgia, as interim pastor of a congregation affiliat...

Richard W. Schramm, chief news spokesman for the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. for the past decade, will soon leave that post in a reorganization at the denomination’s headquarters....

Everybody knows that there are 365 days in the solar year. But how many know the number of days in a lunar year? The answer is 354, 11 days fewer than in the solar calendar....

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina received enough votes during the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI to have blocked the pontiff’s election, according to a detailed report published...

A book by Ashley Smith, the Atlanta woman who read portions of Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life to the man who held her hostage and persuaded him to surrender, says that she als...

Although churches are frequently viewed as behind the times, a new study shows that Protestant congregations are quickly embracing new technologies....

Four senior Anglican bishops have suggested that the Church of England arrange a meeting of Muslim and Christian leaders to initiate an apology by Western countries involved in the war in Iraq....

In a four-year financial and volunteer alliance to increase affordable housing, Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans have announced a $100 million agreement that ...

If demographic trends continue, Israel will boast the largest Jewish community in the world by 2006....

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Kathryn Wolford, president of Lutheran World Relief, visited West Africa in early September to see firsthand the effects of chronic food deficits in Niger and to offer additional assistance ...

At a time when the church had grown cozy with the ruling authorities, and faith had become a means to power, some Christians determined to live out an alternative life grounded in an authentically biblical faith. They headed for desolate places, pooled their resources and dedicated themselves to a life of asceticism and prayer. No, these aren't fourth-century communities of monks, but present-day communities of Christians who are part of a new and radically different form of Christian practice.

I had just shown a group of pastors and laity a scene from the movie Chariots of Fire. Christian missionary and runner Eric Liddell says about his running and his God, "To win is to honor him." A man in the group responded, “I don’t believe that line comes from Liddell. It’s pure Hollywood. It is out of character for Liddell to be so focused on winning.” Is winning compatible with the Christian faith? What are the criteria by which we measure "winning"?

Now and then we play a game: “Which four figures would you nominate to be included in a Mount Rushmore of American religionists?” Jonathan Edwards and Martin Luther King Jr....

Paul can be downright annoying.

Does Paul say "we were gentle among you"? Or "we were infants"?