Gray skies made for a somber looking afternoon, but the hundreds who gathered for the Illinois March for Life and preceding rally were anything but somber. Participants were eager to march and then share their prolife message with lawmakers inside the State Capitol. The rain held off as they stood in the shadow of the […]
Churches welcome refugees who become neighbors
Jorge Rodriguez’s young church is engaged in one of its city’s most urgent ministry needs. Buses of asylum-seekers are arriving in Chicago—people looking for safety, peace, and a chance for better lives. These new arrivals are the most recent sojourners in Rogers Park, the church’s densely populated and highly diverse neighborhood. “We all know what […]
6 lessons from a lawsuit
In February 2017 our church reluctantly filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Chicago. Our complaint? The Chicago Zoning Ordinance didn’t treat churches fairly with regard to parking requirements, which prevented us from buying our building. Well, we finally had our trial in January—nearly six years after filing suit! The wheels of justice turn […]
News Stories
Study shows Hispanic churches are young, vibrant, and growing
A new survey of Hispanic churches shows their attenders are younger and more evangelistic than at other Protestant churches—and there are more of them in worship on any given Sunday. Together with two dozen other religious organizations, Lifeway Research polled 692 pastors of churches that are at least 50% Hispanic for the largest survey of […]
Hunt sues SBC, EC and Guidepost
Longtime pastor and former SBC President Johnny Hunt has filed suit against the SBC, the SBC Executive Committee (EC) and Guidepost Solutions. The suit seeks unspecified damages related to allegations of defamation and the invasion of privacy based on accusations made against Hunt in the 2022 Guidepost report stemming from an investigation into the alleged […]
SBC aids largest people displacement in history
“About 60% of our missionaries currently serve in closed countries, where they can’t get a missionary visa,” IMB President Paul Chitwood recently shared. “We anticipate that will continue to grow. So that’s a huge issue…Access is very difficult.” But in God’s sovereignty, the growing worldwide refugee crisis is presenting what Chitwood described as “a problem […]
Stetzer leaves Wheaton to lead Biola’s theology school
Missiologist Ed Stetzer will serve as dean of the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, a nondenominational evangelical university in La Mirada, California. Stetzer is currently a professor and dean at Wheaton College and executive director of the Billy Graham Center. He is a former vice president of Lifeway Christian Resources and previously served at the North American Mission Board. […]
Encouraging Words
My weepy witness
I was horrified at the tears filling my eyes. It was the last day of Vacation Bible School at Chatham Baptist Church and I had stopped on our way out to thank my daughter’s teacher. But what I’d intended as a breezy thank-you turned awkward as I was hit with the full weight of my […]
Cloyd: Why a doctor’s warning still rings in my heart
My wife, Jeanette, has walked with a slight limp for as long as I have known her. She has had joint issues that required her to exercise caution when moving about. For years, some degree of numbness has been present in her hands and feet. Earlier attempts to identify and correct these matters were not […]