Category: Religion News Service

Religion News Service

Glitz and a surprise guest at prom for special-needs teens and adults

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY — A red carpet. Friendly paparazzi. Limousine rides. All of the above greeted the special-needs teens and adults — most clad in tuxedos and fancy dresses, many using wheelchairs — who showed up at the Putnam City Baptist Church on the Friday night (Feb. 9) before Valentine’s Day. Inside the Southern Baptist church’s sanctuary, … Continue reading Glitz and a surprise guest at prom for special-needs teens and adults

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Religion News Service, USA Today

God and guns: Texas pastors undergo security training a month after Sutherland Springs massacre

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service PLANO, Texas — Shooting holes in a “paper bad guy” during target practice? That’s easy. Defending a house of worship against a real gunman? That’s a whole different story. As he led a security training on Tuesday (Dec. 5) at a Dallas-area megachurch, Sgt. Mike Gurley warned against thinking that worshippers licensed to carry handguns can offer reliable protection. … Continue reading God and guns: Texas pastors undergo security training a month after Sutherland Springs massacre

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Religion News Service

The guy in the red apron: How a Salvation Army bell ringer brings heart to the job

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — To hear Bruce Bachman tell it, he’s just a guy with a bell, a red apron and a heart to serve who gives a little of his time during the holiday season. He’s just one of the thousands of volunteer bell ringers who keep alive a 127-year tradition that the Salvation … Continue reading The guy in the red apron: How a Salvation Army bell ringer brings heart to the job

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Religion News Service

Closing doors: Small religious colleges struggle for survival

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service SHAWNEE, Okla. — Duncan Tiemeyer chose St. Gregory’s University because he wanted a faith-based education that would teach him more than how to succeed in a career. The 550-student Catholic liberal arts college in Oklahoma traces its roots to French monks who moved to Indian Territory in 1875, intent on developing the bodies, minds and souls of … Continue reading Closing doors: Small religious colleges struggle for survival

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Religion News Service

Satanic Temple billboard protesting corporal punishment rankles Texas town

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service Arther Culpepper, a sheet-metal mechanic and part-time pastor in the South Texas town of Three Rivers, first noticed the billboard out of the corner of his eye. He was driving south on U.S. Highway 281 — near the local Dairy Queen — when the message caught his attention: “Our religion doesn’t believe in hitting children.” The sign was … Continue reading Satanic Temple billboard protesting corporal punishment rankles Texas town

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Religion News Service

First beatification Mass for U.S.-born priest and martyr draws thousands

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY — In the final step before sainthood, a missionary from Oklahoma slain during Guatemala’s civil war has been beatified — the first U.S.-born priest and martyr to receive such recognition by the Catholic Church. An estimated 20,000 Catholics waited in long lines to attend the special Mass on Saturday (Sept. 23) celebrating the Rev. Stanley … Continue reading First beatification Mass for U.S.-born priest and martyr draws thousands

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Religion News Service

Catholic faith moves ‘Mattress Mack’ to shelter Harvey victims

Second Place, News Story, Associated Church Press By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service HOUSTON — Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale was kicking himself the morning after Hurricane Harvey made landfall, for closing his furniture stores while some people could still shop. Known to millions in America’s fourth-largest city because he stars in his own zany television commercials, McIngvale had closed all three of his Gallery … Continue reading Catholic faith moves ‘Mattress Mack’ to shelter Harvey victims

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Religion News Service

Robert Jeffress on God, Trump and North Korea: A pastor explains his politics

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service DALLAS — Anyone who knows the Bible shouldn’t take issue with the idea that God has given President Trump authority to take out North Korea’s dictator, said Pastor Robert Jeffress, the Dallas megachurch leader who drew sharp rebukes for stating just that. Jeffress sat down for an interview with RNS after his sermon Sunday (Aug. 13), … Continue reading Robert Jeffress on God, Trump and North Korea: A pastor explains his politics

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Religion News Service

‘Father Stan’s Our Man’: Farm town honors hometown hero on path to sainthood

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKARCHE, Okla. — Past the grain elevator and the bar famous for its fried chicken, Oklahoma Highway 3 leads to a century-old church where the Rev. Stanley Francis Rother served as an altar boy. A tall, white steeple atop the red-brick Holy Trinity Catholic Church — which opened in 1903, four years before Oklahoma became the 46th state — points … Continue reading ‘Father Stan’s Our Man’: Farm town honors hometown hero on path to sainthood

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