Clement “Mickey” Woodward is a member of First Baptist Church in Richmond; and for more than 10 years he’s made a mission trip once a month. His mission experience (or more like over 5,000 mission experiences) has typically taken him…
Blessed are the Persecuted: SBC resolutions noting persecution
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — While staunch defenders of human rights and religious liberty for all, Southern Baptists rarely mentioned religious persecution in convention resolutions until the 1990s. That coincides with increased calls by social conservatives, including the newly conservative leadership…
Blessed are the Persecuted: Where persecution is real, it’s intense
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Some Christians in the United States are quick to cry “persecution” if courts, schools or businesses fail to favor their religion above others. But in places around the world where Christians face beatings, economic reprisal, imprisonment or…
Blessed are the Persecuted: Defining, and responding to, persecution
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — Baptists generally prefer to handle violations of religious freedom through quiet diplomacy instead of media headlines denouncing “persecution” of Christians, said a freedom-and-justice specialist for the Baptist World Alliance. Christians in Tehsil Gojra, Pakistan, examine…
2009: The year in newsmakers
(ABP) — Here are some of the top newsmakers in 2009 as reported by Associated Baptist Press. 1. The Baptist movement turns 400 Baptists gathering in 2009 celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Baptist tradition. While there are different theories…
2009: The year in Baptist newsmakers
(ABP) — Here are some of the top newsmakers in 2009 as reported by Associated Baptist Press. John Upton 1. The Baptist movement turns 400 Baptists gathering in 2009 celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Baptist tradition. While there are…
2009: The year in deaths of prominent Baptists
Paschal Dan Goodman, 40, a professor at Gardner-Webb University's M. Christopher White School of Divinity, unexpectedly Jan. 13. Oscar Romo, 79, a pioneer in starting ethnic Southern Baptist churches, Jan. 16 from complications related to Parkinson's disease. Millard Fuller,…
Most American Protestant pastors view Islam as ‘dangerous’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Two-thirds of Protestant pastors in the United States believe Islam is a dangerous religion, according to survey results released by LifeWay Research. The survey, however, did not explore the issues behind their concern. While opinions vary…
Fear of flu prompts panic in cautious congregations
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Hand sanitizer appears at the sanctuary entrance. Worshippers greet each other with a cautionary bow rather than a warm handshake or hug. Absences increase in Bible classes. The H1N1 flu pandemic is shaking up religious communities and…
FAITH DIGEST: American Christians dabble in New Age
Nearly one-fourth of the self-identified Christians in the United States delve into a range of Eastern or New Age beliefs, a new study shows. Asked about their supernatural experiences, significant minorities of American Christian respondents said they believe in astrology…
Obama’s Muslim outreach named top religion story of 2009
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The nation’s religion journalists named President Obama’s speech to the Muslim world as the top religion story of the year. Members of the Religion Newswriters Association ranked the June speech in Cairo, in which the president quoted…
Use the Quran to share Christ with Muslim, veteran missionary suggests
ANGLETON, Texas — Winning Muslim converts to Christianity is difficult, but veteran missionary Kevin Greeson knows a way—start with the Quran. Greeson, who has served 16 years with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board working to start Christian movements among…