NASHVILLE – LifeWay Christian Resources has entered into a contract for the sale of their campus in downtown Nashville. Contract terms, including the sale price, have not been disclosed pending closing of the sale in a few months. The contract is with Uptown Nashville, LLC, a consortium of local and national developers formed specifically to develop this property. LifeWay president and CEO Thom S. Rainer said he is excited about the prospects for the property as well as LifeWay’s … [Read more...]
1 in 3 worry about Sharia law
Bob Smietana/LifeWay NASHVILLE – As President Obama seeks to ramp up military action against the terrorist group known as ISIS, Americans remain uneasy over the place of Islam in the United States and in the world, a LifeWay Research survey shows. More than a third (37 percent) say they are worried about Sharia law – an Islamic legal and moral code – being applied in America. One in 4 (27 percent) believe the terrorist group ISIS reflects the true nature of Islam, while 4 in 10 (43 … [Read more...]
Sunday morning in America still segregated
NASHVILLE – Sunday morning remains one of the most segregated hours in American life, with more than 8 in 10 congregations made up of one predominant racial group. And most worshipers like it that way. Two-thirds of American churchgoers (67 percent) say their church has done enough to become racially diverse. And less than half think their church should become more diverse. Those are among the findings of a study of church segregation by Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Researchers … [Read more...]
Pigskin or pews?
NASHVILLE – Most American churchgoers would rather attend church than watch their favorite football team. But a few diehard fans are willing to miss out on worship to watch a game. About 1 in 7 churchgoers (15 percent) say they’d skip church in order to watch their favorite football team, according to a survey of 994 churchgoers from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Researchers found most of the faithful balk at skipping church for football. More than 8 in 10 (83 percent) disagree with … [Read more...]
Poll: state shouldn’t define marriage
NASHVILLE – About half of Americans are ready for separation of church and state when it comes to weddings. Six in 10 say the government should not define or regulate marriage. And more than a third of Americans—and about a quarter of Protestant pastors—say clergy should get out of the civil marriage business. Those are among the findings of two new studies from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research, said Americans disagree about the … [Read more...]
Survey finds pastors favor immigration reform
NASHVILLE – The nation’s Protestant senior pastors want the U.S. government to mix justice with mercy when it comes to immigration reform. Most say it’s the government’s job to stop people from entering the country illegally. They also support reform that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country. And they believe Christians should help immigrants, no matter what their legal status. Those are among the findings of a new survey of 1,000 Protestant … [Read more...]
Federal judge recommends dismissal of Glorieta suit
A U.S. Federal Court magistrate found no evidence of misconduct in last year’s sale of Glorieta Baptist Conference Center to a Christian camping ministry. The judge’s 79-page document filed yesterday (Sept. 4) recommends dismissal of all claims in a lawsuit filed against LifeWay Christian Resources, the Southern Baptist Convention and its Executive Committee, and Glorieta 2.0, the ministry that bought Glorieta from LifeWay last September. “The judge’s recommendations could not be more … [Read more...]
SBC leaders lament lack of evangelistic passion
Carol Pipes/LifeWay Christian Resources NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Southern Baptists experienced growth in the number of churches affiliated with the convention in 2013, while other key measures declined, according to the Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions. The number of churches in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) grew by 91 to 46,125, a 0.2 percent increase over 2012. SBC churches also reported 4,789 church-type … [Read more...]
SBC Annual Report
By Carol Pipes NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Southern Baptists experienced growth in the number of churches affiliated with the convention in 2013, while other key measures declined, according to the Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions. The number of churches in the Southern Baptist Convention grew by 91 to 46,125, a 0.2 percent increase over 2012. SBC churches also reported 4,789 church-type missions last year, a decline … [Read more...]
Most Americans: Keep ‘Under God’ in Pledge
Bob Smietana/LifeWay Christian Resources NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In 1954, the United States Congress added the words “under God” to the country’s Pledge of Allegiance. Sixty years later, most Americans would like to keep it that way, despite ongoing legal challenges to the pledge. A lawsuit filed against a New Jersey school district on March 28 contends that reciting the phrase “under God” in the pledge sends a message that nonbelievers are bad citizens and creates a hostile environment for … [Read more...]
LifeWay challenges churches to start 100,000 new Bible study groups
Bob Smietana/LifeWay Christian Resources NASHVILLE (BP) – LifeWay Christian Resources is challenging churches to start 100,000 new Bible study groups by the end of this year. The new groups initiative is a partnership between churches, state conventions and LifeWay. It’s designed to help longtime churchgoers jumpstart their faith and to help new believers grow spiritually, Bruce Raley, director of church education ministry for LifeWay, said. Whether they meet on Sunday mornings or … [Read more...]
True Love Waits Documentary
Aaron Earls/LifeWay Christian Resources NASHVILLE (BP) – After 20 years and millions of pledge cards, has True Love Waits (TLW) had a positive impact and does it still matter? A new documentary by LifeWay Films examines the history and future of True Love Waits. The international purity movement captured the national conversation in 1994 by covering the National Mall with cards from teenagers promising to remain sexually pure. The documentary “True Love Waits: The Complicated … [Read more...]