RICHMOND, Va. — A couple of years ago, ministry leaders at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo., began to notice how many members were driving from an area near Kansas City International Airport, a nearly 30- minute drive. Knowing…
RIGHT OR WRONG? Denominational loyalty
I’m watching friends who graduated from Baptist seminaries change denominations. I’m beginning to think they are no different than politicians who change political party affiliations to get re-elected. What is the appropriate sense of denominational loyalty these days? The competition…
‘Lazarus’ Harley helps Missouri ministry introduce bikers to Christ
SEDALIA, Mo. (ABP) — The 1967 Harley-Davidson Ironhead motorcycle once slumped against a wall, in bad shape and with a mulberry tree growing right through its heart. Rescued and restored, however, the Harley brought several motorcyclists back to God’s house….
Baptist ethicist says oil spill a moral issue
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A Baptist ethicist says the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a moral issue, although few Americans have framed the issue in moral terms. Robert Parham "Yes, the BP disaster is a moral…
Baptist nurse answers call to aid ailing Haitians
GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (ABP) — The children swarm Tori Wentz as she walks down the street. Some run up for a fist bump. A few chant, "Blan! Blan! Blan!" Wentz waves back, smiles and shrugs at the Creole term for…
Baptist nurse answers call to aid ailing Haitians
GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (ABP) — The children swarm Tori Wentz as she walks down the street. Some run up for a fist bump. A few chant, "Blan! Blan! Blan!" Wentz waves back, smiles and shrugs at the Creole term for…
Virginia Baptist nurse answers call to bring medical care to needy Haitians
GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (ABP) — The children swarm Tori Wentz as she walks down the street. Some run up for a fist bump. A few chant, "Blan! Blan! Blan!" Wentz waves back, smiles and shrugs at the Creole term for…
Pastor calls on SBC to adopt zero-tolerance of racism
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — A prominent African-American pastor has announced plans to ask the Southern Baptist Convention to amend its constitution to ban churches that condone racism. Dwight McKissic Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, said…
Judge says school cannot hold graduation ceremony in church
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (ABP) — A federal judge ruled May 31 that a Connecticut school district's plan to hold graduation ceremonies in a mega-church violates the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state and ordered school officials to find a secular…
OPINION: When churches ‘jump the shark’
When does a church “jump the shark?” That phrase refers to the time Fonzi, the star of the old television comedy “Happy Days,” jumped a shark (literally) and has served as an example of a TV show that tries something…
Pastor calls on SBC to adopt zero-tolerance of racism
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — A prominent African-American pastor has announced plans to ask the Southern Baptist Convention to amend its constitution to ban churches that condone racism. Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, said in a…
Ronnie Floyd asks for prayer for GCR Task Force report at SBC
RICHMOND, Va. — In an email communiqué June 1, Ronnie Floyd asked editors of state Baptist papers to spread the word that he is asking for prayer. Floyd, pastor of First Baptist Church of Springdale, Ark., is chairman of the…