For several years, Virginia Baptist mission teams have ministered on the Standing Rock Reservation, the fourth largest Native American reservation in the U.S, straddling the border of North and South Dakota. Michael Clingenpeel, pastor of River Road Church, Baptist, in…
Novelist Anne Rice: Committed to Christ but leaving Christianity
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Former vampire novelist Anne Rice says she’s leaving Christianity again because she no longer wants to be identified with such a “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.” Anne Rice Born and raised a Catholic, Rice left…
Ground Zero controversy part of rise in anti-Islamic sentiment, experts say
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The most recent prominent spat in the United States over building a new Islamic facility — the so-called “Ground Zero mosque” in New York — is indicative of a broader movement that is becoming increasingly suspicious of…
Evangelical group still waiting for apology
CONROE, Texas (ABP) — An organizer of a recent women's-rights convention for evangelical Christians said the group is still awaiting a response more than a week after demanding a public apology from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood for…
NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Getting there and getting started
For several years, Virginia Baptist mission teams have ministered on the Standing Rock Reservation, the fourth largest Native American reservation in the U.S, straddling the border of North and South Dakota. Michael Clingenpeel, pastor of River Road Church, Baptist, in…
Religious persecution around the world crosses faith lines, say advocates for freedom
HONOLULU – Persecution of religious groups around the world isn’t restricted to Christians, two advocates for religious liberty told a focus group meeting during the Baptist World Congress. Christer Daelander, religious freedom representative for the European Baptist Federation, reported that…
World’s Baptist women discuss plight of trafficked, abused women
HONOLULU (ABP) — The festive and colorful native dress featured by many of the attendants at the Baptist World Alliance Women's Leadership Conference just prior to the recent Baptist World Congress in Honolulu contrasted with the harsh reality they discussed…
Spirit transforms people, communities, creation, S. African Baptist says
HONOLULU (ABP) — Christians who listen to the Holy Spirit will experience transformation and become agents of transformation, an African Baptist leader told the Baptist World Congress. Paul Msiza (Photo by Peter Traynham) The kind of transformation the Holy Spirit…
Australian pastor to world’s Baptists: Become ‘jubilee people’
HONOLULU (ABP) — 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. Allen Demond (PHOTO/Peter Traynham) “Imagine if there was a place on Earth…
Science-versus-religion battle unnecessary, Baptists say
HONOLULU (ABP) — 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 United States National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, and Bill Tillman, professor…
Missions today demands local strategies, global vision, panelists assert
HONOLULU (ABP) — 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 Australia told a focus group at the Baptist World Congress…
Baptists discuss where Christianity embraces, offers critique of culture
HONOLULU (ABP) — 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…