The United States of America is one of the most religious and certainly the most religiously diverse nation on the face of the earth. Despite our country’s religiosity, many of us were surprised by a recent poll widely reported in…
OPINION: Freedom and its fruit
When we were missionaries in Taiwan I remember being asked what the Bible is all about. What would you say the Bible is all about? I couldn’t use any religious vocabulary like salvation, redemption, sin, eschatology. In Mandarin there is…
OPINION: When Baptists actually come together
Walking around at the Baptist General Association of Virginia meeting in Hampton I realized how fortunate I was to be a pastor in Virginia. I’m not from these parts but have traveled in the BGAV twice in my life now. …
ASK THE ARCHITECT: Sacred spaces and places
We begin with the profound question: Can we design a space with assurance that it will be perceived as a sacred place by those who experience it? Even more profound is this awesome yet humbling responsibility we have, as architects,…
HERITAGE: A lily for Dr. Taylor
For the past year I have been engrossed with researching and writing the life of George Braxton Taylor, who is best known in Baptist history for founding in 1886 the Sunbeams, the earliest organization to teach Baptist children about missions….
End-times theology hurts Christians, speaker says
KELLER—End times theology that equates the modern state of Israel with the Israel of biblical prophecy has caused some evangelical Christians to let eschatology trump ethics when it comes to the Middle East, a Palestinian-American Christian told a general session…
Former British Baptist head David Russell dies
BRISTOL, England (ABP) – David Russell, who served as general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain during a crucial period, has died. He was 94. David Russell As British Baptists’ top executive from 1967 to 1982, Russell aided…
Retired missionary’s ‘ministry of trash’ grows out of fitness habit
IRONTON, Mo. (ABP) — One Missouri Baptist woman's "ministry of trash" has made her somewhat famous in the Show-Me State — and invaluable to the Baptist retirement community where she lives. Ruth Ann Short, now a resident at The Baptist…
American Baptists send funds to fight cholera in Haiti
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (ABP) — American Baptist Churches USA sent an initial contribution of $15,000 to fight Haiti's cholera outbreak, the denomination's news service reported Nov. 11. The money, from an interdenominational relief program called One Great Hour of Sharing,…
Americans are feeling charitable, just not through churches, says report
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Americans are being more generous to religious charities, but why are they skimping on their giving to churches? A new report from Empty Tomb, an Illinois-based Christian research organization, contains an analysis that found from 2007 to…
Charities, yes; churches, no
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Americans are being more generous to religious charities, but why are they skimping on their giving to churches? A new report from Empty Tomb, an Illinois-based Christian research organization, contains an analysis that found from 2007 to 2008, Protestant…
FAITH DIGEST
How much is a Bible website worth? A disgruntled investor has sued Bible.com, saying the website’s name alone should make it a “goldmine.” James Solakian filed suit against Bible.com, according to the Reuters news agency. He says the website should…