NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When the contemporary Christian group Selah recorded “It Is Well with My Soul” and “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” for their 1999 debut album, Be Still My Soul, one of its members, Todd Smith, had no idea…
Christmas loss: Suggested reading
Pastors recommended the following books as particularly helpful to people who have experienced loss and to Christians who are seeking to minister to them. • Good Grief by Granger E. Westberg “I like the next-to-last chapter title, ‘Gradually Hope Comes…
New drama focuses on forgiveness
WASHINGTON (RNS) — For playwright Marcus Gardley, the theater is his pulpit, and plays are his sermons. His latest production, Every Tongue Confess, seeks answers to the questions that swirled around the spate of arsons that hit black churches in…
Texas Baptists begin search for new executive
DALLAS — First Baptist Church of Midland, Texas, voted unanimously Dec. 5 to call Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Director Randel Everett as senior pastor, and he accepted. Everett, 61, a former Virginia Baptist pastor and seminary president, has…
FAITH DIGEST
Clergy have middling reputation. What do nurses, soldiers, pharmacists, elementary school teachers, doctors and police officers have in common? Americans say they all are more ethical and honest than members of the clergy, according to a new Gallup survey. Slightly…
Forgiveness for black church arsons theme of new drama
WASHINGTON (RNS) — For playwright Marcus Gardley, the theater is his pulpit, and plays are his sermons. His latest production, Every Tongue Confess, seeks answers to the questions that swirled around the spate of arsons that hit black churches in…
RIGHT or WRONG? Helping world Baptists
Fifty-seven percent of the world’s Baptists live in North America. U.S. Baptists say we are mission-minded and concerned about social justice. But are we so self-centered and content that we can’t provide major assistance to expand the Baptist movement worldwide?…
NAMB trustee resigns over Ezell’s actions
CUMMING, Ga. (ABP) — A trustee has resigned from the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board saying he does not share the vision of the agency's new president. Lester Cooper "I believe that throughout my life, and particularly as…
BJC’s Walker to receive religious-freedom award
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) – The executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty will be honored for his efforts by a Virginia group that celebrates the United States’ first law codifying religious freedom. Brent Walker The Washington-based BJC…
NAMB trustee resigns over new president’s actions
CUMMING, Ga. (ABP) — A trustee has resigned from the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board saying he does not share the vision of the agency's new president. "I believe that throughout my life, and particularly as I've gotten…
VIRGINIA BAPTIST FORUM: Views differ on church-state separation
I enjoyed the Nov. 18 issue of the Herald featuring the recent BGAV meeting in Hampton, Va. I took particular note of the “Another Opinion” pieces on pages 18 and 19. I assume the article on page 18, written by…
Baptist Joint Committee’s Walker to receive religious-freedom award
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — The executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty will be honored for his efforts by a Virginia group that celebrates the United States’ first law codifying religious freedom. The Washington-based BJC announced Dec….