Jan 31 -- Bible kicks up controversy in return to classroom: RALEIGH, N.C. -- The perennial favorites among high school electives have traditionally been psychology, drama and art. These days, however, the favorites have come to include a subject long considered forbidden: the Bible. Even ACLU approves of one Bible study curriculum

Jan 31 -- Area church notes: Areawide worship assembly Sunday in Hamlin

Jan 31 -- Local church notes: Bilingual church names new minister

Jan 31 -- Black churches seeking to bring financial health to their communities: If black churches have been sleeping for years, as some say, then many appear to be awakening to the reality that they have to do more than lead lost souls to Christ.

Jan 31 -- Gift bags to remind families of hospitality house's purpose: When the new Eunice Chambless Hospitality House opens near Abilene's two prisons later this spring, folks staying there will know exactly why "hospitality" is part of its name.

Jan 31 -- Longtime organist retires: Thurman Morrison feels certain that in time he will be able to attend church just like any other member. That time can't come soon enough.

Jan 31 -- Rally for Catholic youth expected to draw large group: A youth rally that is expected to draw as many as 500 youngsters to Abilene will be held Feb. 7 at Holy Family Catholic Church, 5410 Buffalo Gap Rd.

Jan 31 -- Abilene preacher co-authors book exploring what Jesus would do: A new book co-authored by an Abilene minister tries to answer the question you see stamped on bracelets that people are wearing today.

Jan 31 -- Growing number of churches decide there's no shame in divorce: The call was brief, stunning and to the point. The day my wife -- and church -- left me

Jan 31 -- Minister lobbies against gambling: ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- The Rev. Tom Grey is in his element, working the room as a federal panel examining the spread of legalized gambling hears testimony.

Jan 31 -- Guitar 'god' Phil Keaggy struggles to find an audience: For those of you who weren't paying attention over the past 20 years, an introduction: Meet Phil Keaggy, devout (but occasionally reluctant) contemporary Christian rock, um, god.

Jan 31 -- Papal message to Cuba: freedom and responsibility (Terry Mattingly Column): Papal tours are like Rorschach tests: observers tend to see what they want to see.

Jan 31 -- Good book should aim for sales to bad people (Clark Morphew Column): It has always struck me as strange that the Holy Bible is owned by certain publishing companies here in the United States.

Jan 31 -- Duvall presents moving portrayal of Pentecostal evangelist: Since his 1962 film debut in "To Kill a Mockingbird," Robert Duvall has played good guys, bad guys and everything in between in films such as "The Godfather," "Apocalypse Now," "The Great Santini," "Tender Mercies" and "Phenomenon."

Jan 31 -- New Age meets Old West in singer-songwriter Church Pyle: The family joke is that a young Chuck Pyle asked his dad to explain a statue in church.

Jan 31 -- Jots and tittles from the world of religion (Tom Schaefer Column): If you were dying, who would you want to be with you to offer comfort?

Jan 31 -- Amid allegations of sex and lies, take time to heed Jesus' warning (Lauren Stanley Column): Nearly 2,000 years ago, a young, itinerant teacher sat down on a mountainside and taught the people who were following him how best to live in ways pleasing to God. In the midst of his teaching, he warned the people:

Jan 31 -- The line between church and state is being erased, warns a watchdog group (Jim Jones Column): Like Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan in the Garden of Eden, religious groups today are being lured into unholy alliances with the government, says a well-known watchdog on church-state separation issues.

Jan 31 -- We don't have to surrender to noise (Ken Garfield Column): I've begun craving the quiet more than ever. That should come as no surprise, seeing how I have a wife and two teen-agers at home and a voice-mail system at work that was crammed with 22 messages when I returned this week from three days off.

Jan 31 -- Women deacons should be celebrated, not condemned (Dr. Carl Trusler, M.D. Guest Columnist): Dewayne Bush's letter on Jan. 24 prompts me to write regarding the role of women in our churches. I was thrilled to see that First Baptist Church had elected women as deacons.

Jan 24 -- Contradictions in the Episcopal Church (Terry Mattingly Column): It is the custom of Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold III to begin his day at 5 a.m. with prayer and yoga, a heels-over-head ritual that symbolizes what some call his Zen-Benedictine approach to faith.

Jan 24 -- Widow of McMurry University campus minister to speak in Throckmorton: THROCKMORTON -- Janice Kahl of Abilene will be guest speaker for United Methodist Women's Sunday at 11 a.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church.

Jan 24 -- Crafting sermon job ministers take pride in: Some sermons are uplifting, some are scholarly, some will set your soul on fire, and some are real snoozers.

Jan 24 -- New church building 19 years in the making: Dr. Tony Roach will tell you that "the people are God's building," but he doesn't mind pointing with pride to God's "other" building, the one his congregation just built.

Jan 24 -- Former Miss America sees herself as just like everyone else: She hasn't put on 20 pounds or "let herself go" in the past 25 years, but other than that, Shirley Cothran Barret sees herself much like the rest of us.

Jan 24 -- Christian cowboys spreading the word on horseback: ODESSA, Texas -- As role models for today's youth, world champion team ropers Allen Bach and Jake Barnes share the importance of God in their lives.

Jan 24 -- Churches are learning there's no shame in divorce: FORT WORTH, Texas -- The call was brief, stunning and to the point.

Jan 24 -- If we wait 'til tomorrow, we defy life, not death: David Crowder was a man in his 40s who worked hard, loved his family and attended church. He was a middle-age guy not so different from the rest of us middle-age guys.

Jan 24 -- MLK would be treated better in Texas today: FORT WORTH, Texas -- When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the once-obscure Baptist minister we honored with a national holiday on Monday, came to Fort Worth in 1959, he was not welcomed by most of us.

Jan 24 -- Letters to the Editor: Women deacons violate scripture ... Article too negative

Jan 24 -- Local Church notes: First Baptist sponsors food drive

Jan 24 -- Great preachers' storytelling weaves ways to alter lives: I remember a preacher who gave me so many good thoughts from the pulpit that I would not be able to thank him in 1,000 lifetimes.

Jan 24 -- Promise Keepers open clergy conference to women but few attend: PHILADELPHIA -- When Elder Carolyn Scott and Evangelist Valerie Young walked into the Apollo of Temple in North Philadelphia last week, they gazed around the crowd of area clergy, hoping to see a healthy contingent of female faces.

Jan 24 -- Good values possible without a God, reader asserts: "It most certainly is possible to have good values without a God."

Jan 17 -- Local group to be featured on radio program: The Big Country Boys will be the featured new artists on Paul Heil's "The Gospel Greats" from 8-10 a.m. Saturday on radio station KGNZ, 88.1 FM. The local group's song "Happy Millionaire" reached #79 on the Singing News Magazine chart. Selections from that album will be featured.

Jan 17 -- Moments of Grace: Moments of grace came to our family and especially to Cari and Michael Solomon, who live in Irving, with their two small daughters, Lauren, age 4 and Madilen Jacie, 11 months.

Jan 17 -- Boys to present concert next Friday in Breckenridge: BRECKENRIDGE -- The Florida Boys will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Breckenridge High School Auditorium.

Jan 17 -- Doesn't anybody read the Bible anymore? Christians are turning to other books for illumination: They fill aisle after aisle in Christian bookstores: inspirational tomes neatly ordered like paper soldiers of truth in the battle for human souls.

Jan 17 -- Six women appointed to serve as deacons at First Baptist Church: Knocking down barriers is nothing new to Dr. Virginia Boyd Connally.

Jan 17 -- Abilene educator's humn sung at Christmas Eve service: With little musical training but a lot of appreciation in his heart, Nolan Kelley sat down at the piano a year ago to begin a hymn of thanksgiving.

Jan 17 -- Christian cowboys spreading the word on horseback: ODESSA, Texas -- As role models for today's youth, world champion team ropers Allen Bach and Jake Barnes share the importance of God in their lives.

Jan 17 -- Child's love brings 'Jane Roe' to faith: I can't remember all the times I have had someone tell me he or she doesn't go to church anymore because of hypocrites, arrogance, wrongful accusations, etc.

Jan 17 -- Heston promotes new book on the Bible: LOS ANGELES -- He parted the Red Sea in "The Ten Commandments." He baptized Jesus in "The Greatest Story Ever Told." He painted the Sistine Chapel in "The Agony and the Ecstasy" and he bent down to give Jesus a drink of water in "Ben-Hur."

Jan 17 -- Students square off over Bible lore: Quick: Who lost his strength when his head was shaved while he was asleep? Test your Bible IQ

Jan 17 -- Coach praised for practicing faith in his daily life (Jim Jones column): God doesn't take sides in sports, says University of Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne, whose team was declared co-national champion last week.

Jan 17 -- Christian marriage ceremony embraced by many in Japan (Terry Mattingly column): TOKYO -- The Rev. Wes Calvery came to Japan 44 years ago during a wave of missionary work that washed over a proud, broken land.

Jan 17 -- Mother Teresa and her order come under criticism (Clark Morphew column): Mother Teresa may be on her way to sainthood, but the criticism of her order, the Missionaries of Charity, has just begun and likely will continue until some serious reform comes about.

Jan 17 -- A look at the future of human cloning (Tom Schafer column): It's several years into the 21st century. Sam and Chris have decided that Adam, their "perfect" 7-year-old son, needs a brother exactly like him with a few modifications.

Jan 17 -- We, the Advil generation, can slow down if we want to: ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The ad comes on the TV, loud and vibrant. The voice-over matches the intensity of the images. Our lives, we are told, are fast-paced and filled. We have no time for ourselves. We are constantly on the go.

Jan 10 -- Area Church Notes: New Baptist mission opening in Merkel next weekend

Jan 10 -- Chaplain was born in prison: Linda Hill doesn't flinch when an inmate complains that "you don't know where I'm coming from, you don't understand me."

Jan 10 -- Local eye doctor brings sight to African country: Dr. Brett Teague may not preach on his mission trips, but he does something very biblical. He restores sight.

Jan 10 -- Episcopals to install new presiding bishop: A number of Episcopalians in the Northwest Texas Diocese will take special notice today when the 25th presiding bishop of their church is installed in Washington, D.C.

Jan 10 -- Letters to the Editor: Scholars no longer can dispute flood ... Pro-life forces see hope for the future

Jan 10 -- '98 could be make-or-break year for Promise Keepers: (Ken Garfield Column): Any year that will include new developments with Billy Graham, Promise Keepers, racial reconciliation, Southern Baptists fighting Mormons and everyone else fighting over homosexuality is sure to be marked by high drama.

Jan 10 -- City's memories captured in churches' stained glass: MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- As a child, Rosa Murrell remembers how sunlight filtered through the candy-colored glass and shimmered like jewels on wooden pews.

Jan 10 -- Local Church Notes: Focus on the Family official to speak at Bethel Temple

Jan 10 -- Japan's lady in white (Terry Mattingly Column): TOKYO -- She smiles down from rows of advertisements that frame the ceilings of Japan's crowded commuter trains and from giant posters in shopping malls.

Jan 10 -- Time to recall two imperial judges (Mike McManus Column): This is a story about Latrena Pixley, who lost custody of her first two children, murdered her third baby and threw the girl into the trash. She was "punished" only with weekends in a halfway house.

Jan 10 -- Battle among Jews brewing in Chicago: CHICAGO -- Through an unmarked door on Devon Avenue, up a dark stairway and into a threadbare suite of rooms, a dozen Russian immigrants gird themselves for another two-hour wrestling match with the English language.

Jan 10 -- Giving to U.S. churches continues to lag (Clark Morphew Column): The researchers at the Empty Tomb Inc. think Christians in the United States may be headed for trouble if their charitable giving doesn't improve.

Jan 10 -- Exactly what is it Jesus would do? (Michael O'Connor Column): WWJD. You see it almost everwhere -- on T-shirts, bracelets, anklets, ball caps; probably someone's even tatooed the letters on his or her body.

Jan 10 -- Islamic college students enjoy togetherness during Ramadan: PHILADELPHIA -- It's 4 a.m. Most college students are nestled in their rooms, cramming some sleep into their systems in time for their early-morning classes. But Farid Sanders, a junior at Drexel University, is quietly crunching away at a bowl of cereal.

Jan 10 -- Those little white lies really add up (Tom Schaefer Column): You're faced with a choice between telling a "little white lie" and thereby possibly getting the job you've always wanted, or telling the truth and probably being denied the job.

Jan 10 -- Religion in the media: A look at recent books and magazines

Jan 10 -- Religious delegation expects to visit Tibet on China trip: A delegation of three American religious leaders scheduled to travel to China in February expects to include a visit to Tibet during the trip.

Jan 3 -- Movement against persecution deserves coverage: The State Department churns out many newsworthy reports, a few of which make news while the rest vanish into circular files. In July, the State Department finally released its first report on religious persecution in 78 nations.

Jan 3 -- Obeying the Ten Commandments necessary for life: Unhappiness seems to be everywhere these days. You cannot pick up a newspaper without reading about broken lives. But I wonder how many people realize that turmoil is usually the result of ignoring the Ten Commandments.

Jan 3 -- Religion News Briefs: Prison parish offers hope through prayer ... Church fires not fueled by prejudice ... Mormon ranks grow in New Mexico ... Alien ideas of Genesis?

Jan 3 -- CD Review: "WWJD" -- * * * Label: Forefront Description: "WWJD" stands for "What Would Jesus Do?" It's a catchphrase that's riding a wave of popularity among some Christians.

Jan 3 -- Epiphany the real end to 12 Days of Christmas: No doubt about it, 25 minus 12 does equal 13. Christmas is Dec. 25. Lovers of carols and party games also know this season has 12 days, packed with pears, gold rings, birds and various kinds of gentry, musicians and domestic workers.

Jan 3 -- Minister plans tour based on book of Acts: When the congregation of First United Methodist Church expressed an interest in studying the book of Acts, the minister took it seriously. So seriously that she spent a week of continuing education time retracing Paul's missionary journeys in Greece so that she would be familiar with the area talked about in the Bible.

Jan 3 -- Survey of congregation produces sermon series: A survey of concerns of the congregation at First Central Presbyterian Church revealed some surprises and led the way to a series of sermons and sessions to be held in January.

Jan 3 -- Muslims, Jews share strategies for fasting: COWAN HEIGHTS, Calif. -- David Pernas remembers every moment of his most torturous bout with hunger and thirst as if it happened only last year. Various world faiths employ fasting as way to move closer to God | Fasting has adverse impact on the body | Tips on how to minimize the health risks associated with fasting

Jan 3 -- Invitation turned out to be a gift rather than a chore (Harold Fickett Column): A new friend, Dan Melligan, called last week and asked whether I'd speak to his Campus Life staff. Dan directs this ministry to high school students in California's Sonoma County. He wondered whether I might talk about emotional manipulation and other dysfunctional behaviors within ministry.

Jan 3 -- Does Christianity have a future?: DEAR JOHN MILBANK: I used to go to church, once upon a time. It seemed to me a wholly desirable thing that people should gather together once a week in a building put aside for that purpose and think about their sins, try to do better, join with others in exultation of God and mark the passages in life -- birth, marriage, death -- with religious ceremony.

Jan 3 -- Question is subtle yet strong symbol of faith (Ken Garfield Column): I'm usually turned off by people who wear their faith on their sleeve. Or their T-shirt. Or the bumper of their car.

Jan 3 -- President Carter tackles tough Bible lessons: PLAINS, Ga. (AP) -- The morning lesson featured lust, adultery and murder. But America's most famous Sunday school teacher didn't sugarcoat it.

Jan 3 -- Southern Baptists build bond with North Korea through good works (Jim Jones Column): An unusual friendship is developing between Southern Baptists and communist North Korea. And a Texan, John LaNoue, has a lot to do with it.

Jan 3 -- Former judge works on saving souls: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Rachel Littlejohn is a former state district judge with an attitude. A Christian one.

Jan 3 -- Letter to the Editor: A few days back one of your op-ed writers opined that if Moses and Jesus were to walk the land, they would be horrified at the commercialism of God that they saw.

Jan 3 -- Local Church Notes: Events at Abilene churches

Jan 3 -- Moments of Grace: Our four-year-old granddaughter had been diagnosed with leukemia. I flew to Washington the next day. My first view of her in the hospital was shocking: tubes and IV's and her sad little face on the pillow.

Jan 3 -- Strive to live a hopeful life (Clark Morphew Column): There is only one way to maintain a positive perspective on this life in the latter days of the 20th century, and that is by striving to live a hopeful life.

Jan 3 -- Plotz, the 'zine of Jewish pop culture, has plenty of chutzpah: Thanks to the efforts of Barbara Kligman and her oh-so-hip magazine Plotz: The Zine for the Vaclempt, pop culture's Jews are coming out of the closet -- sometimes kicking and screaming.

Jan 3 -- Charity is key aspect of Ramadan: Habiba Husain made 11 trips to the grocery superstore to prepare for Ramadan, the Islamic holy month. On each trip, she filled her small truck with hundreds of pounds of flour, pasta, olive oil and other basic necessities.

Jan 3 -- Religious Razzberry Awards go to Oral Roberts students, Lyons (Tom Schaefer Column): From accounts of the life and death of Mother Teresa to attendance by thousands of men at Promise Keepers rallies, people were captivated by events in 1997 that seemed to point to a religious awakening worldwide.

Jan 3 -- Designer Christian T-shirts -- evangelism or commercialism?: There are slick designer knockoffs -- like an appropriation of the familiar CK logo in which the C K stands for Christ the King rather than Calvin Klein.

Jan 3 -- In discussions on race, we must be able to talk about the harm we cause (Lauren Stanley Column): ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The beginning of the New Year is upon us, the end of the old year behind us. We hope and expect lots of changes in each new year, because that is the promise to which we Americans cling with all our hearts.

Jan 3 -- Expressive Yiddish enjoys an American renaissance: COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Jerry Binder searches for his Jewish roots in the castoff remnants of others' lives -- at garage sales, in thrift shops, in dusty, out-of-the-way attics.