HONOLULU (ABP) — Standing in the exhibit hall during the Baptist World Congress in Honolulu, Paul Montacute surveys the array of displays and smiles with delight. Paul Montacute described the BWA's assistance to earthquake-ravaged Haiti during the Baptist World Congress….
Liberation should mark Christianity’s mission and ministry, says educator
HONOLULU — Liberation marked the ministry of Jesus Christ, and it should characterize the mission of God’s people today, a professor and advocate for marginalized women told the Baptist World Congress. Alongla Aier, cofounder of the Oriental Theological Seminary in…
Virginia’s John Upton elected BWA president for next 5 years
HONOLULU – Virginia Baptists’ executive director was elected to the presidency of the Baptist World Alliance July 31 in unanimous vote during the 20th Baptist World Congress. Upton will continue as executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia,…
Holy Spirit transforms individuals, communities, creation, African says
HONOLULU—Christians who listen to the Holy Spirit will experience transformation and become agents of transformation, an African Baptist leader told the Baptist World Congress. The kind of transformation the Holy Spirit produces redeems the lives of individuals, communities and all…
BWAid leader reflects on 20 years of ministry in relief and development
HONOLULU — Standing in the exhibit hall during the Baptist World Congress in Honolulu, Paul Montacute surveys the array of displays and smiles with delight. “Just look at that,” says the director of BWAid, the relief and development arm of…
Become ‘jubilee people,’ pastor tells world Baptists
HONOLULU—Christians are called to join Jesus as “jubilee people,” Australian pastor Allan Demond told participants at the 20th Baptist World Congress in Honolulu July 31. “Imagine if there was a place on earth where God’s Spirit breathed righteousness and truth…
Science vs. religion? It’s an unnecessary battle, say panelists
HONOLULU—Science and religion do not need to quarrel, a molecular engineer and an ethicist told participants at the 20th Baptist World Congress. Clayton Teague, director of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, and Bill Tillman, professor of Christian ethics at…
Missions demands local strategies, global vision, panelists assert
HONOLULU—Innovative missions today demand contextualized ministries shaped by local churches—not one-size-fits-all imported strategies implemented by professionals, a missions professor from Texas and a pastor from South Australia told a focus group at the Baptist World Congress. Mike Stroope, missions professor…
Christianity’s relation to culture a matter of spiritual discernment
HONOLULU—Should Christians ever abandon their cultures for the sake of the gospel? Baptists from all over the planet struggled with what to “embrace” and what to “release” of their cultures during a discussion session held in conjunction with the 20th…
Christians must liberate & be liberated, seminarian tells BWA
HONOLULU — Christians are called to be agents of liberation, but they also desperately need to be liberated themselves, ministry educator Janet Clark stressed at the 20th Baptist World Congress in Honolulu July 30. Jesus focused on liberation in his…
If Jesus needed the Spirit, then so do Christians today, says U.S. pastor
HONOLULU (ABP) — Today’s Christians need the Holy Spirit’s guidance, just like Jesus did 2,000 years ago, an American pastor told participants at the Baptist World Congress. Julie Pennington-Russell joined 26 other Bible scholars to teach Scripture lessons in eight…
Baptists explore ethics of tourism at World Congress session in Hawaii
Convention center in Honolulu. HONOLULU (ABP) — Baptists meeting in one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations were reminded July 29 that beneath the glitz and glitter of the tourism industry lie moral issues that call for a Christian…