TENNESSEE |
|
|
Christianity's prevalence in Tennessee has shrunk over time, a new study finds Fewer Tennesseans identify as Christian, according to a new Pew study, and the number of people who don't identify with any religion is growing. Why it matters: The trend in Tennessee is in line with a nationwide shift. What they're saying: "This is a broad-based social change," says Alan Cooperman, the director of religion research at the Pew Research Center. "We've had rising shares of people who don't identify with any religion — so-called 'nones' — and declining shares who identify as Christian, in all parts of the country, in all parts of the population, by ethnicity and race, among both men and women, and among people at all levels of the educational spectrum." (Axios Nashville 3/3/25) READ MORE>>>>> Pastor Greg Locke says family won’t return home after drive-by shooting Controversial Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke says he and his family will not be returning to their home following a "surreal" drive-by shooting in which gunmen riddled his house and truck with 60 bullets in less than three seconds just over a week ago. "We have not been allowed to be back at our house since then, and other than packing stuff up, we're not going back anyhow," Locke told his congregation Sunday. "They told us that they fear retaliation at this moment." Wilson County Sheriff's Office Capt. Scott Moore told The Tennessean that the shooting, which is being investigated, resulted in no injuries, and authorities haven't arrested anyone in connection with the incident yet. (Christian Post 9/12/24) Read More>>>>> Tennessee names first English-language Bible translation in U.S. as official state book The first English-language translation of the Bible in the United States will become an “official state book” in Tennessee on July 1. Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, signed a bill on Tuesday that names the Aitken Bible and nine other texts as official state books in the Tennessee Blue Book (an official manual on the state government). This is the first time Tennessee has formally recognized any official state books. The Bible translation was published by Philadelphia printer Robert Aitken in 1782 and received an official endorsement from Congress. The American Revolution, which began in 1776, halted trade with Great Britain and cut off the supply of Bibles, which prompted Aitken to publish an English-language Bible in the country, according to the legislation. (Catholic News Agency 4/18/24) READ MORE>>>>> |
residents- Greg Locke -
March 27, 2023: Christianity Today wrote: Presbyterian School Mourns 6 Dead in Nashville Shooting. Parents were invited into the chapel at The Covenant School in Nashville on Monday morning, as they are every school-day morning. They sang and prayed with the roughly 200 elementary students and 40 or 50 staff at the Presbyterian Church in America school and listened as pastor Matthew Sullivan “raises it to another level,” as one student put it, with his kid-friendly Bible lesson. A few hours later, though, parents crowded into the sanctuary of Woodmont Baptist Church, two miles down the road, waiting to hear the worst. In the interval, the private Christian school became the site of the 130th mass shooting of 2023, which left three children and three staff members dead. |
Tennessee Tornado Tears Roof from Church, But True Tragedy Avoided by Minutes
Only 30 minutes before an EF-2 tornado struck Red River Assembly, there were still people departing from a memorial service held earlier that afternoon. When an EF-2 tornado ripped through Springfield, Tennessee, on Saturday afternoon, it peeled the roof off the Red River Assembly sanctuary, allowing the hard-driven rain to damage and/or destroy the sub-ceiling, instruments, sound equipment, computers, projectors, and anything else not water resistant. But pastor Buddy Hagerman and his wife, Tracy, are counting their blessings.
(Dee Van Deen/Assemblies of God 12/14/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Only 30 minutes before an EF-2 tornado struck Red River Assembly, there were still people departing from a memorial service held earlier that afternoon. When an EF-2 tornado ripped through Springfield, Tennessee, on Saturday afternoon, it peeled the roof off the Red River Assembly sanctuary, allowing the hard-driven rain to damage and/or destroy the sub-ceiling, instruments, sound equipment, computers, projectors, and anything else not water resistant. But pastor Buddy Hagerman and his wife, Tracy, are counting their blessings.
(Dee Van Deen/Assemblies of God 12/14/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Bellevue, Southern Baptists pray for Gaines as he battles cancer
Members of one of the most well-known Southern Baptist churches are focusing their prayer efforts on their pastor this Sunday (Dec. 3). Bellevue Baptist will be lifting up Steve Gaines as he battles kidney cancer.
Gaines made the church aware of his health need on Nov. 19. He told his church family he has “a great team of doctors in Memphis who are treating me.” He said he also plans consult with physicians at M.D. Anderson in Houston. Gaines, a former SBC president, has served as pastor of the Memphis-area church since 2005.
(Brandon Porter/Kentucky Today 12/2/23)
Read More>>>>>
Members of one of the most well-known Southern Baptist churches are focusing their prayer efforts on their pastor this Sunday (Dec. 3). Bellevue Baptist will be lifting up Steve Gaines as he battles kidney cancer.
Gaines made the church aware of his health need on Nov. 19. He told his church family he has “a great team of doctors in Memphis who are treating me.” He said he also plans consult with physicians at M.D. Anderson in Houston. Gaines, a former SBC president, has served as pastor of the Memphis-area church since 2005.
(Brandon Porter/Kentucky Today 12/2/23)
Read More>>>>>
How a bucolic Tennessee suburb became a hotbed of ‘Christian Nashville-ism’
Williamson County is Tennessee’s wealthiest community and has the best schools in the state, some of the biggest churches, a host of Christian nonprofits and a whole bunch of country music stars who call it home.
It’s not the place you expect to find neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Yet there they were last month, showing up at a forum to back then-mayoral candidate Gabrielle Hanson, a local Realtor and alderman in Franklin, Tennessee, a bucolic suburb 20 miles south of Nashville best known for its Civil War-era mansions, historical downtown and annual Pumpkinfest and “Dickens of a Christmas” festivals.
(Bob Smietana/Religion News 11/8/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Williamson County is Tennessee’s wealthiest community and has the best schools in the state, some of the biggest churches, a host of Christian nonprofits and a whole bunch of country music stars who call it home.
It’s not the place you expect to find neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Yet there they were last month, showing up at a forum to back then-mayoral candidate Gabrielle Hanson, a local Realtor and alderman in Franklin, Tennessee, a bucolic suburb 20 miles south of Nashville best known for its Civil War-era mansions, historical downtown and annual Pumpkinfest and “Dickens of a Christmas” festivals.
(Bob Smietana/Religion News 11/8/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
What is the main religion in Tennessee?
The state’s religious identity is deeply intertwined with its history and culture, often influencing its politics and community values. Tennessee’s Christian community is diverse, encompassing a wide range of denominations such as Southern Baptists, Methodists, and Church of Christ followers, among others. While Christianity reigns supreme in Tennessee, other faiths also contribute to the state’s spiritual tapestry. Minority religions, including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, have established their presence, reflecting a broader trend of increasing religious diversity across the United States. (EnergyPortal.eu 11/11/23)
Read More>>>>>
The state’s religious identity is deeply intertwined with its history and culture, often influencing its politics and community values. Tennessee’s Christian community is diverse, encompassing a wide range of denominations such as Southern Baptists, Methodists, and Church of Christ followers, among others. While Christianity reigns supreme in Tennessee, other faiths also contribute to the state’s spiritual tapestry. Minority religions, including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, have established their presence, reflecting a broader trend of increasing religious diversity across the United States. (EnergyPortal.eu 11/11/23)
Read More>>>>>
Pro-Trump Pastor Hosts Book Burning During Church Service
Tennessee pastor Greg Locke, an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, urged his congregation to burn books and other items representing "witchcraft" during a Halloween night church service.
Locke, who leads the Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, told followers on Tuesday that they were breaking "an agreement with witchcraft" by allowing the supposedly evil materials to go up in flames. The service also offered what it claimed was a "mass deliverance" for children, being presented as an alternative to the "demonic" practice of trick or treating on Halloween. (Aila Slisco/Newsweek 11/2/23)
Read More>>>>>
Tennessee pastor Greg Locke, an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, urged his congregation to burn books and other items representing "witchcraft" during a Halloween night church service.
Locke, who leads the Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, told followers on Tuesday that they were breaking "an agreement with witchcraft" by allowing the supposedly evil materials to go up in flames. The service also offered what it claimed was a "mass deliverance" for children, being presented as an alternative to the "demonic" practice of trick or treating on Halloween. (Aila Slisco/Newsweek 11/2/23)
Read More>>>>>
Presbyterian School Mourns 6 Dead in Nashville Shooting
Parents were invited into the chapel at The Covenant School in Nashville on Monday morning, as they are every school-day morning. They sang and prayed with the roughly 200 elementary students and 40 or 50 staff at the Presbyterian Church in America school and listened as pastor Matthew Sullivan “raises it to another level,” as one student put it, with his kid-friendly Bible lesson. A few hours later, though, parents crowded into the sanctuary of Woodmont Baptist Church, two miles down the road, waiting to hear the worst. In the interval, the private Christian school became the site of the 130th mass shooting of 2023, which left three children and three staff members dead. (Daniel Silliman & Kate Shellnutt/Christianity Today 3/27/23)
Read More>>>>>
Parents were invited into the chapel at The Covenant School in Nashville on Monday morning, as they are every school-day morning. They sang and prayed with the roughly 200 elementary students and 40 or 50 staff at the Presbyterian Church in America school and listened as pastor Matthew Sullivan “raises it to another level,” as one student put it, with his kid-friendly Bible lesson. A few hours later, though, parents crowded into the sanctuary of Woodmont Baptist Church, two miles down the road, waiting to hear the worst. In the interval, the private Christian school became the site of the 130th mass shooting of 2023, which left three children and three staff members dead. (Daniel Silliman & Kate Shellnutt/Christianity Today 3/27/23)
Read More>>>>>