Religion - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Breakpoint: Why truth-telling is a calling for every believer

"Men have forgotten God."

By John Stonestreet / Breakpoint July 26, 2025

In this Dec. 10, 1998, photo, writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author whose books chronicled the horrors of the Soviet gulag system, speaks at the Swedish Embassy. / AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko/File

Holland: All glory to God for this milestone

I wanted to take a moment to say how much I appreciate you, the reader, for taking time each week to read Living On Purpose.

By Billy Holland July 26, 2025

Wagner: Don’t let a little poop keep you from acts of service

My daily schedule always seems to be tighter than an old man's wallet. Why, then, I asked myself, does there always seem to be some helpless thing in the road when I am in a hurry?

By Pastor Bo Wagner July 26, 2025

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Chattanooga area pastors oppose endorsing candidates despite IRS ruling

While the country digested a court filing by the IRS saying houses of worship are free to endorse political candidates to their congregations, two local pastors frowned on doing so.

By Kailee Shores July 24, 2025

Staff photo by Abby White / The exterior of the Internal Revenue Service building on Uptain Road is pictured July 24, 2025.

Local pastor named to Tennessee panel on civil rights

The United States Civil Rights Commission has approved new appointments to the Tennessee Advisory Committee, and the list included a Chattanooga pastor.

By Kailee Shores July 23, 2025

Contributed photo / The Rev. William Terry Ladd III is pictured June 8, 2025, at First Baptist Church on East Eighth Street in Chattanooga. Ladd was appointed July 18, 2025, to the Tennessee Advisory Committee for the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Holland: Heroes without capes or superpowers

We hear a lot about heroes these days. Accomplished athletes are admired as idols for throwing around a ball, while actors in blockbuster movies portray individuals who can fly and use their incredible powers to save the universe.

By Billy Holland July 19, 2025

Breakpoint: The Scopes Trial’s cast of colorful characters shows the power of narratives to shape public perception

One hundred years ago this month was a court case that was known as "the trial of the century," at least until the trial of O.J. Simpson.

By John Stonestreet and Timothy D. Padgett / Breakpoint July 19, 2025

Staff photo by Abby White / The Scopes Trial took place 100 years ago this month at the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tenn.

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Growth among Mormons in Chattanooga area prompts creation of new jurisdiction

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Chattanooga area has grown such in the past several years that the Chattanooga region that was under one jurisdiction has been split in two.

By Kailee Shores July 17, 2025

Contributed photo / The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once under one jurisdiction in Chattanooga, has been split into two regions after experiencing growth over the past four years. The new Cleveland, Tenn., stake, the church's term for a geographical area of congregations, is led by President Daniel Wolfe of Cleveland, center, with counselors Amando Torres, left, and Adam Robertson.

Blackwell: God and the soul long for each other

Many of us are probably familiar with the opening line of Psalm 42.

By L.B. Blackwell July 12, 2025

Breakpoint: Prison ministry and the embodiment of Christ

According to Nashville's WTVF News, 170 inmates at the Sumner County jail in Tennessee were baptized on a single day in May.

By John Stonestreet and Timothy D. Padgett / Breakpoint July 12, 2025

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