Kansas City Star: Faith

Billy Graham | Teacher can be God's witness through actions

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

DEAR BILLY GRAHAM: I’m a high school teacher, and it has been a very discouraging year for me. I can’t even count the number of my students who’ve gotten pregnant, or are on drugs, or get drunk every weekend, etc. I can’t talk about Christ in the classroom, and yet I know he’s the only answer. What should I do? Sometimes I wonder if I should just quit. — M.W. DEAR M.W.: I sincerely hope you won’t leave your position, not unless God clearly leads you to step away from it. After all, the situation in your school may be bad, but how much worse would it be if you (and others like you) weren’t there? Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. … You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13,14).

Faith Walk | Family crisis brings family prayers

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Our family vacation was just beginning, and my two sisters, parents and I had come from our various corners of the country to meet in a secluded cabin high in the mountains near Denver. My sisters and I lead very different lives, which can sometimes cause misunderstandings or mutual frustration common in any family. But we had looked forward to this time together to enjoy the outdoors and to rest.

Vern Barnet | Churches grapple with gay rights

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

I’m not sure there has been a more divisive issue within mainline Protestant denominations than homosexuality. Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and other groups have been torn, deciding whether to accept and even ordain those who have made a commitment to love a person of the same sex. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that homosexuality is an “objective disorder,” though gay and lesbian Catholics meet in support groups.

Robert Schuller's daughter hopes to salvage the Crystal Cathedral

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Starting at age 4, Sheila Schuller Coleman has held just about every job at her father’s Crystal Cathedral, from copying Sunday programs at the kitchen table to launching a private high school on the church grounds. Now, five decades after the Rev. Robert H. Schuller first planted the church, his daughter is facing her most challenging job there yet: taking over her father’s megachurch and its famous “Hour of Power” television ministry at a time of both financial and family crisis.

Churches will put their faith in action on Oct. 11

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

The third annual “Faith in Action Sunday,” which challenges churches to close their doors on a Sunday morning and go out to serve their communities, will take place on Oct. 11 this year. Faith in Action was developed by World Vision, Zondervan and Outreach Inc. in 2007 to encourage churches, ministries and small groups to serve and meet practical needs in their communities.

Billy Graham | Adam and Eve turned their backs to God

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

DEAR BILLY GRAHAM: I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but why did God make us with so many defects? Why didn’t he make us so we wouldn’t sin and do bad things like make wars? It seems to me that if he’d done a better job of making us, we wouldn’t have all these bad things, would we? — C.J. DEAR C.J.: You are right about one thing: We do live in a world that’s constantly torn by conflict, injustice and even death. And you’re right also when you say that we’re responsible for these things, because we are. Jesus said, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19).

Sermon series addresses questions of faith

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:15 CDT

A tough question, especially for American Christians celebrating Independence Day this weekend, will be addressed by the Rev. Jack F. Price, pastor of Crossroads Church of Kansas City. A member of the congregation asked about a survey showing that a higher percentage of Christians than those not affiliated with any church supported the use of torture, “so why should anyone participate in an organization that is worse than the general population in its concern for others?” The questioner feels torture violates his understanding of Christian teaching.

Religious laws about modesty create a quandary at the public pool

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:15 CDT

W hen Zahra Khan arrived at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from her native Ottawa, Ontario, in 2005, she looked for a swimming pool where she wouldn’t have to worry about showing too much skin. The only options were mixed-gender pools, which Khan felt would violate beliefs about modesty grounded in her Muslim faith.