One of the most famous quotes by the great American-born writer, Henry James, is “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”…
ASK THE ARCHITECT: Miscellany
Let’s take a break from our soup to nuts journey that began two years ago. Rather than writing about another leg in that overall process of planning, funding, and building your church project, this month’s column will be devoted to…
Can technology usher in another Pentecost?
DALLAS (ABP) — Texas Baptists are partnering with a non-denominational ministry to harness online language-translation technology that advocates say could be the best tool for cross-cultural evangelism since Pentecost. Called Hope Chat, the tool harnesses the power of ABBY, an…
Equipping the equippers
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Call it a buzz word, a euphemism for the emergent movement or a description of profound shifts in ecclesiology, the term "missional" is entrenched in the vocabulary of 21st century Christianity. Since 2002, Wilshire Baptist Church…
Traditional divinity program aids ministry in nontraditional contexts
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Students who serve in nontraditional ministry settings — whether a postmodern congregation, a cowboy church or something in-between — benefit from the foundation provided in a traditional seminary curriculum, some educators and ministry practitioners insist. Baylor…
Seminaries adapt to changing religious landscape
Changes in America's religious landscape have had enormous impact on seminaries. Mainline schools that once mainly trained ministers for their own denominations now welcome students of all denominational backgrounds. MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (ABP) —Six years after starting as a pilot project,…
Pastor renews call for database of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse
ENID, Okla. (ABP) – An Oklahoma pastor says the Southern Baptist Convention should reconsider a database to help safeguard churches from clergy who are sexual predators. Wade Burleson Wade Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, Okla., made a…
Seminaries adapt to changing religious landscape
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (ABP) — Six years after starting as a pilot project, Central Baptist Theological Seminary's center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., recently became fully accredited to award the master of divinity degree and diploma in theology. Students take a major portion…
Traditional divinity program aids ministry in nontraditional contexts
Students who serve in nontraditional ministry settings — whether a postmodern congregation, a cowboy church or something in-between — benefit from the foundation provided in a traditional seminary curriculum, some educators and ministry practitioners insist. Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary…
American Muslims hopeful about life in the U.S.
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, an extensive new survey of Muslims finds them as optimistic as other Americans, even as large minorities of Christian Americans question Muslims' loyalty to the United States. The survey, released by the…
FAITH DIGEST
Americans want religious presidents. A majority of Americans (56 percent) say it's important for a candidate to have strong beliefs, even if those beliefs differ from their own, according to the poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership…
Missional education seeks to train church leaders contextally
Call it a buzz word, a euphemism for the emergent movement or a description of profound shifts in ecclesiology — the term "missional" is entrenched in the vocabulary of 21st century Christianity. Although the concept is subject to wide-ranging and…