Nov. 28 -- Advent emphasizes solemn preparation for Christmas: Friday marked the biggest shopping day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving when preparation for Christmas begins in earnest.

Nov. 28 -- Wylie Baptist brings back Living Christmas Tree: In a scene reminiscent of an Amish barnraising, a bunch of "he-men" from Wylie Baptist Church spent a recent Saturday erecting the 30-foot frame for the church's annual Living Christmas Tree.

Nov. 28 -- Businesses advertise their religion: You can be sure you won't be taken to the cleaners at Ingram's Cleaners, sold a lemon at Hilliard's auto, or stolen blind at Herrington Optical.

Nov. 28 -- The potent brew that fuels Amazon religions: RIO BRANCO, Brazil -- Earlier this month I found myself in a small church on the Amazon called Little Boat.

Nov. 28 -- Tobacco has marked Indian rituals for centuries, documentary shows: Tobacco kills. Cigarette smoke can be lethal. There's not much disagreement on those counts, yet American Indians say they tell only part of the story.

Nov. 28 -- Priest helps put God in center ring: TOLEDO, Ohio -- Whether it's celebrating Mass in the center ring or baptizing a baby under the Big Top, the Rev. Richard Notter always finds a role to play in the circus.

Nov. 28 -- Billy Graham School teaches pastors how to sell God to nonbelievers: MONTEREY, Calif. -- The speaker wears a conservative dark suit, holds a microphone close to his mouth, and talks about the importance of target marketing.

Nov. 28 -- Max Lucado puts a new face on the Churches of Christ: Max Lucado has heard the joke. Of course he has.

Nov. 28 -- Each dollar for seminary honors an individual woman's work: DALLAS -- To look in the eyes of Dr. Elsa Tamez, it's clear how important her school is to her.

Nov. 28 -- Looking at the Y2K problem from a religious perspective: Shaunti Feldhahn could well be the Joan of Arc of the new millennium, driving a small army of Christians to do battle with the impact of the Y2K computer bug.

Nov. 28 -- People of all kinds gather for Thanksgiving dinner (Loretta Fulton): "You can't tell one person from another," Leonard Wheeler said, pushing a large garbage can around the room in search of empty plates left behind by full patrons.

Nov. 28 -- Woman seeks to cope with panic attacks (Ken Garfeld): CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- I'm not sure what led me to Rebecca Brooks. I just know that my wife came home from church and told me about this nice lady who was excited to be there because she has panic attacks and just getting out of the house is a major accomplishment.

Nov. 28 -- George Sayer talks about C.S. Lewis (Terry Mattingly): He always took the early, slow train from Oxford, so he could say his prayers and enjoy the scenery before he arrived at the tiny station at the foot of the Malvern Hills.

Nov. 28 -- Churches must do more to combat HIV/AIDS (Clark Morphew): Pilgrims, today we have some good news and some bad news.

Nov. 28 -- Some after-Thanksgiving tidbits (Tom Schaefer): With visions of turkey sandwiches, turkey hash and turkey soup dancing in my head, I thought all of us could use something lighter to digest when it comes to religion.

Nov. 28 -- Time to enjoy Advent (Lauren R. Stanley): And we're off to the races!

Nov. 28 -- Gracious in rejection, a pastor instructs (David Waters): Eighty-six men received an invitation.

Nov. 21 -- Thanksgiving expresses relationship to God: The giving of thanks is the most responsible thing we ever do, the most responsive, the most creative. It is our reply to God the Giver.

Nov. 21 -- ACU plans birthday bash for C.S. Lewis: 100th birthday bash for C.S. Lewis will be held at Abilene Christian University on Monday, and the fact that the celebrated Christian apologist won't be there shouldn't matter at all.

Nov. 21 -- Wylie churches hold Thanksgiving celebration: The Wylie family will gather for a Thanksgiving celebration Sunday, and it will certainly be one of the biggest family gatherings this Thanksgiving season.

Nov. 21 -- The pope's dilemma: How to confront the Inquisition: VATICAN CITY (AP) -- In a driving rain in the Czech Republic, the pope asked forgiveness for the crimes of Catholics against Protestants during the Counter-Reformation.

Nov. 21 -- Society's outdated image of religious women is a constant frustration to modern nuns: CHICAGO -- Most of the time, the real nuns laughed from deep down in their bellies as Sister put them through their Catholic paces.

Nov. 21 -- Fasting for Christmas: The chaos that characterizes the American celebration of Christmas has a way of working its way into the soul, culminating in a sense of emptiness and exhaustion by Dec. 25.

Nov. 21 -- Reading rooms offer indication of Christian Scientists' decline: LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Thursday was an average day at the Christian Science reading room in downtown Lexington: Four people came in between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and there were no sales.

Nov. 21 -- Chip Hilton series makes a return (Ken Garfield): I can still see the Chip Hilton books lined up neatly in the bookcase of my bedroom, a collection more priceless than even baseball cards.

Nov. 21 -- Texas Baptist conservatives declare independence (Jim Jones): HOUSTON -- A few miles north of the San Jacinto Battlefield where Texans won their independence from Mexico in 1836, another small band of Texans declared their independence last week.

Nov. 21 -- 'Big idea' features characters with class (Terry Mattingly): It didn't take long for Phil Vischer to create the following prime directive for his computer-animation studio: "We will not portray Jesus as a vegetable."

Nov. 21 -- As century nears close, talk turns to the rapture (Clark Morphew): It is absolutely astounding how fearful some people are becoming about the millennium -- and the possibility of the end of human existence.

Nov. 21 -- Biblical debates all follow the same pattern (Michael O'Connor): First we had to argue about appropriate clothing in church. Then we fussed about women's role in the church. Now we're arguing about baptism.

Nov. 21 -- Sales of gargoyles help feed the poor (Tom Schaefer): A three-car accident that ended up in his front yard and the sound of gunshots echoing in the night welcomed Father Alan Tilson to the neighborhood.

Nov. 21 -- Why not fast and pray rather than feast and pay (David Waters): Thanksgiving wasn't always celebrated the fourth Thursday in November.

Nov. 14 -- Abilene couple returns from pilgrimage: Debra Guerra and Jesse Vasquez can't say yet that their 20-hour trip in October to Bosnia-Herzgovina and the small town of Medjugorje will change their lives.

Nov. 14 -- HSU holds neighborhood outreach project: A garage sale without the "sale" is taking place at Hardin-Simmons University today, and only selected guests are invited.

Nov. 14 -- Former McMurry student produces TV special: A television special airing at 12 noon Sunday on KTXS-TV will be special in more ways than one to a number of people in Abilene.

Nov. 14 -- A multi-ethnic church celebrates diversity: OXNARD, Calif. -- The congregation sang in a multilingual chorus, some using the Philippine language of Tagalog, others relying on Japanese, Spanish or English.

Nov. 14 -- Making churches more family friendly: Baby Boomer parents who grew up with the slogan, "The family that prays together, stays together," like to think they are doing the right thing by taking their children to church.

Nov. 14 -- A lifetime later, Anne Frank's friend recalls her spirit: CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- To everyone else, she symbolizes the death of innocence.

Nov. 14 -- Teens excited to sing for the pope: ST. LOUIS -- Teenagers in St. Louis are excited that they will get a chance to see -- even sing for -- the pope in January.

Nov. 14 -- Shape-note singing brings together vocalists from every denomination: ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A fireball sun rises over the Merriam-Lexington Presbyterian Church in St. Paul.

Nov. 14 -- Totem of faith: 20-foot backyard carving pays homage to Christianity's Jewish roots: WICHITA, Kan. -- The prayer totem in Randy Joe Holden's back yard represents many things:

Nov. 14 -- Churchgoing hypocrites grumble about interracial dating (Ken Garfield): The issue is interracial dating, and the question is this: How many hypocrites are out there, preaching one thing about all of us being God's children yet practicing the other when no one is looking?

Nov. 14 -- Bible does not support infant baptism (Royce Williamson): We are informed by some that infants should be baptized because they are born in sin, while being assured that the Bible clearly teaches such. The Bible does not support this view.

Nov. 14 -- Persecution of religious peoples -- what to do about it (Terry Mattingly): Two years ago Christians were sold as slaves for as little as $15 in Southern Sudan.

Nov. 14 -- Book shows the shape of faith is shifting (Clark Morphew): Once in a while, a book comes along that genuinely pins down religion in the United States and persuades the reader the future doesn't look so bad.

Nov. 14 -- Worship practices can put off outsiders (Michael O'Connor): We came home from church one day, and I began channel surfing, looking for some golf to watch.

Nov. 14 -- Nice people can turn into monsters when they get into their cars (Lauren R. Stanley): ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Last week, in the early part of a glorious afternoon, a man walked out onto a bridge spanning the Potomac River and effectively brought the entire Washington metropolitan area to a screeching halt.

Nov. 7 -- Abilene's first black church rejoices in 113 years: The written history of Mt. Zion Baptist Church contains two sentences that really tell us all we need to know about Abilene's first black church.

Nov. 7 -- Elmcrest Baptist to celebrate 50th anniversary: One of the most remarkable moments in the history of Elmcrest Baptist Church came on opening day.

Nov. 7 -- Brush with death adds life to music: On the morning the moving van was supposed to take David and Leslie Bailey to a new adventure in Boston, David instead woke up in a hospital, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

Nov. 7 -- At the centennial of his birth, writer C.S. Lewis seems more popular than ever: At age 9, his mother died. His father, overcome with grief, sent his two sons from their Irish homeland to a brutal English boarding school.

Nov. 7 -- Fascination with Asian religious traditions is growing among Catholics and others: Historian Arnold Toynbee observed once that when future historians come to write about our century, it won't be the wars and clashes of ideology that will be the focus of their attention, but rather what happened when Christianity and Buddhism began to interact with each other.

Nov. 7 -- Catholic groups look ahead to election of a new Pope: When the next Pope is selected for the Roman Catholic Church, it will be done as it always has been done, in a highly secret conclave shielded from public view.

Nov. 7 -- Author offers a fresh look at Moses, warts and all: For millennia, Moses has been "hailed as Lawgiver, Liberator and Leader," author Jonathan Kirsch tells us.

Nov. 7 -- 'Wifely submission' statement creates tensions at seminary: FORT WORTH -- To submit or not to submit.

Nov. 7 -- Movie takes a serious look at spirituality (Terry Mattingly): It's another day at the mall multiplex, where hip witches are looking for love, Oprah's fighting her demons, free will and sin are invading a suburban utopia and vampires are being born again, more or less.

Nov. 7 -- Churches must stretch to reach Generation X (Clark Morphew): All across this wonderful land, old churches just rot away as time and demographics bring about the death of a congregation.

Nov. 7 -- Top Christian artists oppose banning Marilyn Manson (Ken Garfield): TAMPA, Fla. -- The biggest names in Christian music didn't hesitate when I asked whether Charlotte should ban Marilyn Manson from playing Ovens Auditorium on Nov. 10.

Nov. 7 -- Take time to ponder the imponderables (Tom Schaefer): Let's slow down for a minute and ponder the imponderables, before we get back up to speed and race toward whatever finish line's ahead.

Nov. 7 -- Religious right is wrong about Bill Clinton (Gracie Bonds Staples): On the eve of my birthday last week, my sister and niece showed up on my doorstep bearing gifts.