NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) – The Southern Baptist Convention reported declines last year in several categories traditionally used as markers of denominational vitality, according to annual statistics released June 9 by LifeWay Christian Resources. The 2010 Annual Church Profile showed dips…
Longtime Baptist journalist Bill Junker dies
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) – Longtime Baptist journalist Bill Junker died June 8 after a long illness. Bill Junker Junker, 83, retired from the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1992. For most of his 13-year tenure he…
Brueggemann points to a food fight in Scripture
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — People of faith are in a food fight — a conflict between two narratives about food, Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann said. Brueggemann labeled one narrative “aggressive accumulation” and the other “shared, grateful abundance.” The conflict…
2010 Lottie Moon Offering falls short
Lottie Moon RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) – Southern Baptists gave $145.6 million to international missions through the 2010 Lottie Moon Offering, $3 million less than the previous year and $8.3 million less than the International Mission Board needs to meet its…
Groups call on SBC to apologize for treatment of gays
PHOENIX (ABP) – Six groups are joining to call on the Southern Baptist Convention to apologize for its treatment of gays. A new coalition announced plans June 8 to hand deliver a petition at next week’s SBC annual meeting in…
Professor says Southern Baptists should elect black president
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) – A seminary professor says the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention should be an African-American. Russell Moore Russell Moore, dean of the school of theology and senior vice president for academic administration at Southern Baptist…
Funds primary need for Joplin recovery
JOPLIN, Mo. (ABP) — Churches and other agencies in Joplin say supplies that have poured in from all over Missouri and throughout the country have meant that space is no longer available for more. The very best way to help…
Arrest of music minister shocks California church
MONTCLAIR, Calif. (ABP) – A self-described “family-oriented” Baptist church with average attendance of about 185 is in the Los Angeles media spotlight after police said they caught its 53-year-old music minister in the act of molesting a 15-year-old girl. Bethany…
Collaborative puts volunteers in diverse spiritual communities
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — While “summer missions” is an icon of the evangelical landscape, orientation of 14 young people June 2-4 at Meredith College signaled a unique missions collaboration between the Alliance of Baptists and the United Church of Christ….