EDITOR'S NOTE: The removal of the Billy Graham statue is scheduled for June 25. By Marty King NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lifeway Christian Resources is moving a larger-than-life statue of Southern Baptist evangelist Billy Graham from its downtown Nashville location to a Lifeway retreat center in the North Carolina mountains, a few miles from Graham’s home. The move is prompted by … [Read more...]
Few Protestant pastors, churches prioritize prison ministries
By Bob Smietana NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Most Protestant pastors go to jail, at least for a visit, and want to help prisoners and their families. But their churches often lack the training or finances to run an effective prison ministry. Those are among the findings of a new phone survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors from Nashville-based Lifeway Research. Researchers … [Read more...]
Survey: Few pastors say adulterous ministers should face permanent ban from pulpit
By Bob Smietana NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Half of Protestant pastors say their colleagues should step down from the pulpit for a time if they are accused of misconduct. Most say such accusations should be kept in confidence until proven. And few think pastors who commit adultery should be permanently banned from ministry. Those are among the findings of a new telephone … [Read more...]
Pastors: The end of the world is complicated
By Bob Smietana NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Most Protestant pastors believe Jesus will return in the future. But few agree about the details of the apocalypse. A third of America’s Protestant pastors expect Christians to be raptured—or taken up in the sky to meet Jesus—as the end times begin. About half think a false messiah known as the Antichrist will appear sometime in the … [Read more...]
Survey: Christians say predatory loans are sinful
By Bob Smietana NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Self-identified Christians in 30 states—from Alabama to Wyoming—say it’s a sin to lend money to someone who can’t afford to pay it back. Most want the government to protect consumers from loans with excessive interest. Still, 1 in 6 Christians has taken out a high-interest payday loan, while few of their fellow believers know how such … [Read more...]