I’ve never been great at languages. I wish I were. A natural linguistic facility would have made my years of learning biblical languages (or living in foreign countries, for that matter) slightly less trying. Language study, I understand, comes with…
NABF groups’ recovery plans focus on helping disaster victims in mid-term
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Baptist groups associated with the North American Baptist Fellowship are pouring into areas affected by deadly spring tornadoes and floods, at the same time they make longer view assessments of how best to help victim families rebuild…
RIGHT or WRONG? The best and brightest
It has been said that church vocations no longer attract the “best and brightest” young Christians. Do believe that is true? If so, what should we do about it? Twelve years ago, as an editor of a Baptist state paper,…
Christians, Muslims, Jews to share sacred texts on June 26
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Christian clergy across the country will organize readings from the Quran and other sacred texts Sunday, June 26, as part of an initiative to counter anti-Muslim bigotry and negative stereotypes of Islam. Announced in a telephonic press…
Ed Vick, moderate Baptist lay leader, dies
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — Ed Vick, a prominent Baptist layman and supporter of moderate causes including Associated Baptist Press, died May 13, seven weeks after being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Vick, of Raleigh, N.C., served as a director of…
BJC says North Carolina county’s policy threatens religious liberty
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A Baptist church-state watchdog group urged the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower-court’s decision barring a North Carolina county commission from opening its meetings with prayers in Jesus’ name. Oral arguments were scheduled…
Two-thirds of Americans believe Osama bin Laden’s in hell
WASHINGTON (RNS) — While Americans have debated whether Osama bin Laden’s body belongs at the bottom of the Arabian Sea, most agree on the final destination of his soul — in hell. A new poll reports most Americans (82 percent)…
British Baptists urge end to tax-dodging by multinational corporations
LONDON (ABP) — An annual assembly of British Baptists called on the government to crack down on strategies used by multinational corporations to avoid paying taxes in the Third World. While not illegal, a Baptist Union of Great Britain resolution…
Alliance of Baptists acts out call for economic justice with staff salaries
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — At its recent convocation in Louisville, Ky., the Alliance of Baptists not only adopted a statement on economic justice but implemented the commitment by equalizing salaries for members of the organization’s leadership team. Denouncing public policy…
J. Alfred Smith finds Gardner-Webb University open to diversity
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. (ABP) — A predominantly white Baptist college in rural North Carolina might seem an unlikely place to find an urban African-American pastor from California known for an agenda of prophetic justice, but Gardner-Webb University just said goodbye…
Reflections on the bin Laden killing
By David Gushee For those who projected onto Barack Obama the hope that he would be a transformative figure, a peacemaker/great soul like Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi, the targeted killing of Osama bin Laden ought to put such…
Church start or church satellite? Decision can be difficult
Perhaps a congregation has discovered a neighborhood or nearby community with no evangelical or other church presence. Or maybe the church has found a demographic that isn’t being reached with the gospel. Church leaders believe God is leading their congregation…