JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (ABP) — For most of the globe outside the United States, it’s like the Super Bowl plus the NCAA Basketball Tournament plus the World Series plus the Olympics, all in one event. And Baptists in South Africa…
Clashing visions of marriage
By David Gushee On Saturday morning, June 5, 2010, I read that Al and Tipper Gore are separating after 40 years of marriage. On Saturday afternoon, I stood at the front of the First United Methodist Church in Jackson, Tennessee,…
FAITH DIGEST
Judge allows clergy housing tax case to proceed. A federal judge has rejected a motion filed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to dismiss a California lawsuit that challenges tax breaks ministers can receive on housing. Section 107 of…
Death in a minister’s family means transitions in ministry, identity
The death of a minister—or the minister’s spouse—marks a difficult phase in the life of both the church and the pastor’s family. Wil Tanner, pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, still struggles to fill the gap left after…
Church and founding pastor either grow together, or somebody moves on
Whether the founding pastor of a church matures with the congregation or moves on once the new work is well established depends on a host of factors, according to three church-growth and church-planting experts. And either the initial focus on…
Churches adapt to change by planting multiple campuses
RICHMOND, Va. — A couple of years ago, ministry leaders at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo., began to notice how many members were driving from an area near Kansas City International Airport, a nearly 30- minute drive. Knowing…
RIGHT OR WRONG? Denominational loyalty
I’m watching friends who graduated from Baptist seminaries change denominations. I’m beginning to think they are no different than politicians who change political party affiliations to get re-elected. What is the appropriate sense of denominational loyalty these days? The competition…
Student ministers face challenges as age separates them from youth
Age can influence the career direction a youth minister or campus minister takes. Family transitions may lead to a ministry change, or the minister may feel age has separated him or her from students. “There may be a time when…
Virginia Baptist nurse answers call to bring medical care to needy Haitians
GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (ABP) — The children swarm Tori Wentz as she walks down the street. Some run up for a fist bump. A few chant, "Blan! Blan! Blan!" Wentz waves back, smiles and shrugs at the Creole term for…
Pastor calls on SBC to adopt zero-tolerance of racism
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — A prominent African-American pastor has announced plans to ask the Southern Baptist Convention to amend its constitution to ban churches that condone racism. Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, said in a…
CBF leader seeks to rally churches to make up mission offering shortfall
ATLANTA (ABP) — A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's leader is appealing to churches to step up contributions to an annual Offering for Global Missions running 30 percent behind projected receipts. At the end of April, receipts to the offering totaled just…
If there’s a just way to wage war, what about ending one?
WASHINGTON, D.C. (RNS)—For centuries, Christianity’s theory of “just war” has helped religious and political leaders determine when, if ever, war is justified and how to conduct a moral military campaign. Now, as the United States prepares to reduce troop levels…