Current page: Reporter / Bob Smietana
Bob Smietana
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Big churches sound alike, little churches are the 'Wild West' of music, study finds
Worship professor Will Bishop said that focusing on the most popular worship songs can miss what churches are actually singing.
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SBC messengers reelect Texas pastor Bart Barber to a second term as president
Barber was an unlikely candidate for president when he first ran in 2022. His election seems to indicate that Southern Baptists approve of the direction the convention is going.
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Bart Barber, Mike Stone — two conservative pastors — to square off for SBC president
The two candidates for SBC president hold many of the same beliefs but disagree sharply over how to handle the issue of sexual abuse and over the direction of the nation's largest Protestant denomination.
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Southern Baptists lost nearly half a million members in 2022
The Southern Baptist Convention has lost 3 million members since 2006, about half of that in the last five years.
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Joshua Butler, author of controversial book on sex, resigns as pastor of Arizona church
The book had been criticized for its comparisons of spiritual experiences to sex and male pleasure.
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New study suggests thinking about God can make people more generous to outsiders
The study was a collaboration among researchers looking into how religion affects human behavior. Some thought religion might make people generous to just those who share their faith. Others thought the generosity could extend to people from other groups.
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There's a reason every hit worship song sounds the same
On Easter Sunday, the worship band at Bethel Community Church in Redding, California, opened the service with "This Is Amazing Grace," a 2012 hit that has remained one of the most popular worship songs of the past decade.
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Grief, fear haunt Nashville as residents gather to mourn in wake of Covenant shooting
Vigils and funeral services begin for the victims of Monday's shooting at a Christian school.
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Report: LGBTQ Americans tend to be younger and have no religion
The new report from PRRI also found that many religious Americans support LGBTQ nondiscrimination rights, even those who oppose same sex-marriage.
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How did Saddleback get kicked out of the SBC? It's complicated
Five congregations ousted this week were the first to be expelled from the SBC on a national level for having women pastors since the ban on women pastors was instituted in 2000.
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New Tim Keller Center for Apologetics hopes to help churches reach a changing country
Named for the popular author and retired pastor, the new center hopes to help churches deal with a 'post-Christendom' America.
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YouVersion Bible app hires former Facebook exec to fuel growth
Now in its 15th year, the team behind the popular Bible app has big plans for the future.
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In Haiti, a crisis of violence, chaos, and cholera goes largely ignored by outside world
Charities do what they can to help the impoverished nation, but international action is needed to bring order and restore infrastructure, experts on the ground say.
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Many Americans think the meaning of Christmas has been lost - survey
Three-quarters of those surveyed agreed with the statement "Most Americans have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas".
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Watch out for the sheep: live animals bring spectacle and humour to Nativity scenes
Though they aren't mentioned in the Bible Christmas story, live animals have been part of nativity scenes since the 1200s. But sometimes things go awry, including a recent case of cows on the loose.
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Why is there hope for all who believe in Jesus?
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The little-known history of the Nativity play
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Should the Archbishop of York resign?
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Archbishop of York resists calls to resign over handling of abusive priest case
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Christmas in a world of conflict: where is God, and what is His plan?
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Former Archbishop of Canterbury resigns as priest after BBC safeguarding investigation
