What the Hell? That’s What Local Seminaries are Asking

Artistic depiction of hell

Christian theologians are rethinking the idea of hell, and it’s moving seminaries and other religious schools in the Kansas City area to examine how they teach students about this ancient, disputed concept. Hell hasn’t disappeared from the list of subjects these pastor-training schools cover, but such books as the just-published “That All Shall Be Saved”…

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Central Baptist Theological Seminary On The Rebound

Photo of Molly T. Marshall

When Molly T. Marshall became president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary here in 2004, this was the inside joke among board members: “We flipped her the keys to the Titanic.” No wonder. The American (not Southern) Baptist school, then at 31st and Minnesota in Kansas City, Kansas, was broke, physically falling apart and down to…

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Sikh Temple Will Highlight U.S Religious Pluralism At Lenexa Corner

a sikh flag at the new temple site

On the southwest corner of 101st Street and Lone Elm Road in southwest Lenexa, not far from the Falcon Ridge Golf Course, is a large church. It’s a congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, usually called the Mormons. The path from the creation of Mormonism in the early 1800s to today…

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KC Catholic School Learns, Grows After Swastika Incident

sign out front of st. teresa's

In September 2017, a photo posted on Snapchat showed a group of St. Teresa’s Academy students posing in front of a table with beer pong cups arranged in the shape of a left-facing swastika. Social media exploded. That incident at a private home  “really brought us to our knees,” says Nan Bone, who is just…

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New Headquarters Marks Another Turning Point For KCK’s Youthfront

stained glass in the chapel

Over its 75-plus years, Youthfront, a Christian ministry that supports youth pastors and offers summer camps and other programs for young people, has made several key transitions. And now it’s changing locations. Well, slightly. The organization’s 38 full-time staff members are moving into new headquarters at 4600 Rainbow Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas, and preparing…

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