Officials are investigating whether lightning sparked a fire that destroyed part of a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church in Mount Holly, N.C., Thursday. That’s what WSOC television reported Friday afternoon from the scene of the blaze at First Baptist Church. However,…
CBF appoints committee to implement Illumination Project
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has announced the creation of a five-member committee charged in part with guiding the organization through renewed controversy over its longstanding policy against hiring LGBTQ people. The committee is responsible for implementing the Illumination Project, which…
Talking race is — and should be — uncomfortable, Baptist leaders say
Of all the workshops offered at last month’s CBF General Assembly, at least one of them counted on its participants checking their comfort zones at the door. The leaders of “The Elephant in the Room: Engaging in Dialogue around Race…
In N. Charleston, justice advocate avoids anger, burnout with centering prayer
Last year was an especially difficult one for folks in and around Charleston, S.C. Bill Stanfield, CEO of a faith-based community development organization, centering prayer emerged as his response.
Pokémon is a no-go for leading Saudi clerics
Pokémon Go has become a no-go according to the leading religious organization of Saudi Arabia, the Reuters News Service has reported. Far from seeing the virtual reality game as a potential lure to houses of worship, the Saudi Muslim clerics…
Megachurch pastor’s firing illustrates challenges posed by addiction
It’s never easy being a pastor. And it becomes even harder when addiction is present. That’s what Perry Noble discovered after battling alcohol abuse the past year. He was terminated by NewSpring Church in South Carolina on July 1, Christianity…
Pokémon Go has old, young generations talking. Will the conversation last?
No wonder churches are struggling to understand Pokémon Go, the smartphone-based augmented reality game whose lexicon includes terms like combat power, gyms, incubators, lucky eggs, Lure Models and PokeStops. Pokémon Go is bewildering to the non-player.
Study: evangelicals at odds with rest of nation on police and racial bias
Unlike most Americans, evangelical Christians do not believe that law enforcement treats minorities unfairly, new research by The Barna Group has found. “Overall, only 29 percent of evangelicals believe police unfairly target people of color,” the Christian research organization said…
Celebration a key discipline like fasting and prayer, ministers say
Spiritual formation usually brings to mind practices like contemplative prayer and fasting, silence and meditation, walking the labyrinth and celebration. Wait, celebration?
No Millennials in church? They may be working, expert says
Charging Millennials with rejecting church and being undisciplined givers doesn’t take into account the multitude of economic and social factors that characterize their lives.
‘Spiritual friendship’ sustains pastor, layman through vocational challenges
Greg Rogers has had mentors, ministerial support groups and an array of denominational colleagues to draw on during his long career in ministry. But most of the strength Rogers needed to weather the challenges of pastoring a church, at least in…
Baptists among religious groups facing severe limits under Russian laws
Missionaries and others who evangelize in Russia now face severe restrictions on those activities since President Vladimir Putin approved sweeping new anti-terrorism laws.