June 27 -- Area pastors approve of Lutheran-Catholic statement: Every week Father Sam Homsey and the Rev. James Hanson sit down together for prayer, exchange of favorite spiritual books, and fellowship.

June 27 -- Hardin-Simmons professor finds prestige in Spain: The headline read "Music Out of Heaven From Texas." Although it was in Spanish, Dr. John Campbell didn't have any trouble understanding. Nor did he have difficulty translating the words of the text of the story, especially the ones that said he was a prestigious organist from Abilene, Texas.

June 27 -- History buff becomes 'historical moment': It takes a good-humored person to laugh at being named an official "historical moment."

June 27 -- Focus on the Family book adds spiritual element to everyday child-rearing advice: ORLANDO, Fla. -- When Connie and Matthew Paullis married, they knew that as Christians, God was their navigator, the Bible their atlas.

June 27 -- Pastor serves as chaplain for street rod group: ST. PAUL, Minn. -- There we were, barreling down White Bear Avenue in a 1940, bright yellow Ford pickup with a Mustang engine, and the guy behind the wheel is a Lutheran pastor.

June 27 -- Hey, Jude!: The time has come for the saint of lost causes: Suddenly, St. Jude is hot. Maybe it's the resurgence of hopelessness and desperation, but this patron saint of last resort is becoming the saint of the moment.

June 27 -- Some evangelical scholars say Baptists jump to conclusions about what the Apostle Paul said: Dr. Richard Land brushed aside arguments against the just-approved Southern Baptist Convention definition of the marriage relationship. Take up your objections with the Apostle Paul, the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission told a national radio audience last week.

June 27 -- Revealed: the real difference between Southern Baptists and Presbyterians (Ken Garfield): If Harvard ever hires me to deliver a lecture on comparative religion, I've got something to say. After four days at the Southern Baptist Convention in Salt Lake City, then a week with the Presbyterians in Charlotte, N.C., your faithful religion writer is prepared to reveal to the world how to tell them apart:

June 27 -- Conservative stance on submitting generates backlash by moderate Texans (Jim Jones): "Not All Baptists Have a 19th Century Mindset," a statement sent out by moderate-led Texas Baptists declares.

June 27 -- An episcopal bishop attacks the religion's core (Terry Mattingly): Anglicanism begins and ends with The Book of Common Prayer.

June 27 -- Does Sunday matter anymore? (R. Albert Mohler Jr.): Roman Catholic Cardinal John O'Connor has had enough.

June 27 -- Author takes an unusual look at how sex and religion entwine (Clark Morphew): Warning: Today I'm writing about sex, so those of you who would rather not read about that subject may want to put down the paper for a while and go make some toast.

June 27 -- Signs to simplistic to contain simple faith (Michael O'Connor): While driving to work I have the opportunity to pass several churches that have sign boards or marquees. Although some of them simply carry information about the church -- times of services, name of the pastor, stuff like that -- many of them put short, pithy sayings on the signs for passersby to read.

June 27 -- A quick scan of the literary landscape reveals some rough terrain ahead (Tom Schaefer): A quick scan of the cultural landscape, via the latest books and magazines, reveals some rough terrain ahead. Be sure you have a qualified navigator as you venture out:

June 27 -- 'The Truman Show' asks basic question: Are you the center of your universe? (Lauren Stanley): ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- I went to see a movie the other night, expecting only to be entertained, and came out awestruck.

June 20 -- The enduring gift of a father's love (Dale Hanson Bourke): It is hard to explain what I lost when my father died. It is even more difficult to explain how much of him remains with me, even five years after his death.

June 20 -- Surviving the sad spectacle of the Southern Baptists: (Tom Ehrich): Salt Lake City survived the Southern Baptists. So, no doubt, will the nation.

June 20 -- Baptist statements reinforce discriminatory beliefs (Matt Hendrix): It is Sunday morning, and a preacher has just returned inspired from the Southern Baptist Convention in Utah. He is going to preach a sermon regarding American families in crisis.

June 20 -- Conservative Southern Baptist coup had its beginnings in Houston skybox (Jim Jones): SALT LAKE CITY -- When Paige Patterson, a Texas native and an icon to conservatives in his denomination, became president of the Southern Baptist Convention this week, it drew me back to 1979.

June 20 -- Baptist position on submission may not help families (Mary Ann Lindley): I grew up in a home where my mother, a Baptist, graciously submitted to becoming a Presbyterian when she married my father. So I suppose I should be of mixed emotions about the Southern Baptist Convention's new declaration of a meeker role for married women.

June 20 -- Sunday hats and links to the past (Terry Mattingly): WASHINGTON -- Viewed from their balconies, the pews in traditional black churches looked like waves of polished wood curving down to the pulpit and, through decades of Sundays, the crests were topped by graceful rows of women's hats.

June 20 -- Spending time with swami can be revealing (Clark Morphew): There is something wonderful about being able to sit with an honest-to-goodness swami and listen to his wisdom for an hour.

June 20 -- Biblical submission: Careful look doesn't back Southern Baptists' directive (Heidi Bright Parales): The Southern Baptist Convention recently passed a declaration that wives are to submit graciously to the servant leadership of their husbands. This seems, at first, to be a very biblical mandate. There are, however, some assumptions at work in this declaration. Unfortunately, these assumptions miss the entire thrust and integrity of the biblical passages used as the basis for this declaration.

June 20 -- Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to focus on spiritual formation: Organizers of next week's gathering in Houston of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship proclaim it "A new way to be Baptist!"

June 20 -- Widow still welcomes participants to camp meeting: Miss Lucy Havens, her smile big and luminous as a Texas moon, sits in a cool breeze under the front porch, looking to the future through eyes shaped by the past.

June 20 -- Mount Carmel provides a place of reflection for monks: Be still, and know that I am God... -- Psalm 46:10

June 20 -- McMurry students visit archaeological sites in Holy Land: Traveling down the King's Highway of the Old Testament, preserving a massive Bronze Age gate, and peering into the Promised Land from the same spot Moses did are all well and good.

June 20 -- Network's management style puts an unlikely mix of congregations on the cutting edge: BARRINGTON, Ill. -- Willow Creek Community Church found fame more t han 20 years ago by using electric guitars and drama to draw the unchurched to worship. Now what's behind the scenes at the suburban Chicago megachurch -- a leadership style that blends the Bible with cutting-edge management theory -- is lashing together a new kind of church network intent on transforming how congregations work.

June 20 -- God on trial: Teens go to court to debate divine responsibility: DALLAS -- The case was titled the People vs. the Almighty. The charge: crimes against humanity.

June 20 -- Even R-rated films suggest redeeming messages to believers with eyes to see: DALLAS -- As Camilla Ballard waits in the darkness for a movie to begin, she asks herself one question. "Where am I going to find God in this film?"

June 20 -- To retreat and reflect: DURHAM, N.C. -- As she drives into a secluded world of fragrant greenery, JoAnna Reilly starts shedding the everyday cares and pent-up tensions.

June 20 -- Polish priest raises a rival for Lourdes: LICHEN, Poland -- In the windswept flatlands of central Poland a cathedral is taking shape that may one day rival Lourdes as Europe's great center of pilgrimage.

June 13 -- Submission God's idea, not man's (Vera Winkler): I would like to take this opportunity to express my views regarding the article in the Abilene Reporter-News by Bonnie Erbe published on June 10.

June 13 -- Christian group declares war on public education (Ken Garfield): I've always appreciated the open-mindedness of Christians who embrace private education while also respecting public schools that constitutionally can't emphasize Christ.

June 13 -- An unabashedly old-fashioned view of honor, sacrifice (Terry Mattingly): WASHINGTON -- The train from New York City was jammed as Matthew Chancey traveled back to the nation's capital after this spring's meeting of the Titanic Historical Society.

June 13 -- 'X' marks spot of a generation in need of faith (Clark Morphew): Many religious people are very concerned these days about the mystery people of our age, the young folks of Generation X.

June 13 -- Baptists, Mormons avert nasty religious fight (Tom Schaefer): The 9,000 Southern Baptists have ended their three-day convention in Salt Lake City, leaving behind a mixture of goodwill and some "Good grief!" expressions among citizens in the predominantly Mormon state.

June 13 -- India, Pakistan revive threat of nuclear destruction (Lauren Stanley): ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- I was born into a world ruled by apartheid and Jim Crow, by the Cold War and Mutually Assured Destruction. In the first decade of my life, the Berlin Wall went up, the tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia and "The Troubles-- erupted in Northern Ireland.

June 13 -- For Baha'is, interracial marriage is a way to chip away at prejudice: Rhonda Palmer is white. Her husband, Walter, is black.

June 13 -- Presbyterians present new catechism: Nowhere is the growing trend of openness among mainstream Christian churches toward people of other faiths more evident than in a proposed new catechism to be presented to Presbyterians next week.

June 13 -- Unlikely leader brings church to accept contemporary music: Someone just retiring as minister of music, and already retired from school teaching, doesn't sound like the person most likely to lead the church into the realm of contemporary music.

June 13 -- Clyde graduate inspires others through adversity: David Kirkwood has much to feel sorry for himself about, but he doesn't have time. He's too busy being an inspiration to others.

June 13 -- Computer-savvy youth gathering for faith chats: American teenagers, who are comfortable using computers for everything from online dating to relaxed chatting, also are using them for matters of faith.

June 13 -- Looking for more family time with an unlikely idea: Bonnie Miller-McLemore has an idea for more family time, but she admits her idea isn't likely to become reality any time soon.

June 13 -- Religious and artistic freedom and truth vs. lies: Members of the New York theater community are celebrating a victory for freedom of speech. Artistic integrity has once again triumphed over the vicious attacks of the radical right-wing extremists.

June 13 -- New Baptist leader turns his energy to evangelism: WAKE FOREST, N.C. -- He came to cheer on a dozen graduate students and their wives headed for Central Asia on what he considers God's work: saving souls for Jesus.

June 6 -- VBS a place to find God: As a child, this was one of my favorite times of the year. Of course, school was out and there were many adventures to be had playing softball, swimming, going on picnics and spending lazy afternoons outdoors with my dog.

June 6 -- A dying woman remembers the church down the road (Ken Garfield): HARRISBURG, N.C. -- Wood and Sue Christenbury had everything they ever wanted.

June 6 -- VBS brings memories of special treat (Loretta Fulton): Just like Pavlov's dog, every time I hear the words "Vacation Bible School," my mouth waters for a fried Spam sandwich.

June 6 -- Church, state, school: another collision (Terry Mattingly): Try to imagine what would happen if the following scene took place in a "Religions of the World" class in a public school.

June 6 -- Pastors can find adventure on family trips (Clark Morphew): We're moving again from late spring into summer, a time for all kinds of rituals in our society: proms, confirmations, weddings and graduations.

June 6 -- Moments of Grace: For 20 years, I had been an agnostic, rejecting Christianity as unreasonable. Then the grace of God opened up a new path to me.

June 6 -- Group hopes to stem nation's 'moral decline' (Tom Schaefer): A 15-year-old opens fire on a classroom of students.

June 6 -- Churches embrace new ways of doing God's business: The pensive faces told the story. Sixty people were hovered over thick binders, desperate to slash $100,000 from an already streamlined budget.

June 6 -- Vacation Bible School goes high-tech: 'Star Quest: a Galactic Good News Adventure" isn't the latest box office hit, but rather it's the latest trend in the old summer standby, Vacation Bible School.

June 6 -- FCA provides extra dimension to student's life: If it weren't for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Steve Keenum might not be where he is today -- head football coach at Methodist-affiliated McMurry University.

June 6 -- Original West Texas Baptist District Association to meet at Civic Center: Competitive Bible drills, some oldtime preaching, singing and fellowship will all be a part of the 95th annual session of the Original West Texas Baptist District Association, which meets Monday through Friday at the Abilene Civic Center.

June 6 -- St. Christopher makes a comeback as the patron saint of the playing field: DETROIT -- Twenty-nine years after St. Christopher's demotion in the legion of Catholic saints, he's still standing tall. St. Christopher was demoted but remains a saint

June 6 -- Jaci Velasquez's bright sounds and keen faith enchant new audiences: DALLAS -- It's about an hour before her concert and Jaci Velasquez is sitting cross-legged on a bed in her Dallas hotel room, meticulously applying eye shadow called "Slick" and "Heist." She speaks of Jesus, her music, her family and her fans while continuing the flow of a makeup routine she deems very important.

June 6 --Traditional beliefs find commonality at Ramtha's school: YELM, Wash. -- It's been said of Huston Smith that he never met a religion he didn't like. Spiritualist J.Z. Knight channeling new support

June 6 -- Memoir traces author's journey out of a violent, racist group: BURLESON, Texas -- Like Timothy McVeigh, Kerry Noble knows what it feels like to deliver a bomb to a building full of unsuspecting people.

June 6 -- 'See-through' wall is invented for Jewish services: ST. LOUIS -- It allows women at an Orthodox synagogue to watch Torah readings and Bar Mitzvahs.