WILMINGTON, N.C. (ABP) — A prayer meeting hosted by a non-church member and featuring speaking in tongues, anointing with oil and the blowing of a ram’s horn might not seem like the typical turning point in the history of a…
Church aims to replicate course-changing experience
WILMINGTON, N.C. (ABP) — Staff members at First Baptist Church in Wilmington, N.C., say their experience at a church conference in Florida helped change their congregation for the better — so they sought to recreate the experience for other churches….
Most pastors oppose endorsing candidates from pulpit
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Protestant pastors may hold strong political views, but most don't use their pulpits to tell church members how to vote, according to new data by LifeWay Research. The research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention's publishing…
Judge upholds fines against Baptists in Uzbekistan
OSLO, Norway (ABP) — A judge in Uzbekistan refused Oct. 14 to overturn fines against five Baptists convicted of illegal worship, an international news service that specializes in religious freedom coverage reported Oct. 26. Fines totaling roughly 10 times Uzbekistan's…
Baptist missionaries fight cholera outbreak in Haiti
HAUT-LIMBE, Haiti (ABP) — A medical missionary couple in Haiti jointly appointed by American Baptists and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship say they have not yet treated any cholera cases but are focusing on community education and prevention to halt spread…
Affinity document could guide Virginia Baptists’ future relationships
RICHMOND, Va. — A document to be considered at next month’s annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia could provide a guide for Virginia Baptists’ future, if adopted by messengers. A proposal from an affinity study committee, appointed…
Va. Baptist board approves document to counter ‘revisionist’ view of history
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Baptist Mission Board has approved a “2010 History Project” to publish a document to correct “certain influential versions of American history [which] … mistakenly minimize or deny the grounding in this nation’s history of the…
EDITORIAL: Dealing with the anger means dealing with the issues
If, like me, you have been unfortunate enough to hear the barrage of campaign ads, you have probably been distressed by the angry accusations blasted like canon shots back and forth between party lines. It’s enough to cause those of…
VITAL SIGNS: The 20-year test
There is a school of thought running rampant in congregations these days that sounds something like this: “This is the worst Pastor/Group/Recession/President/Situation/ Era/Event that we have ever known! We must get rid of him/her/it/them immediately or we are doomed.” As…
OUT LOUD
“If I were advising him, I’d tell him to give a one-line speech and say, ‘Hey, at least I'm not a Muslim.’ ” Arsalan Iftikhar The contributing editor to Islamica magazine was referring to the advice he’d give to former…
Baptist missionaries fight cholera outbreak in Haiti
HAUT LIMBE, Haiti (ABP) — A medical missionary couple in Haiti jointly appointed by American Baptists and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship says it has not yet treated any cholera cases but is focusing on community education and prevention to halt…
HERITAGE: Beneath the oaks
When my automobile rested under the oak trees at Antioch Baptist Church in Charlotte County, Va., it was pelted with giant acorns. They rained like bullets and a person had to run fast to avoid a crack on the head….