NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A total of 140 moderate Baptist leaders signed a June 18 letter urging passage of a comprehensive energy bill that includes caps on emissions linked to global warming. Drafted by the Baptist Center for Ethics, a…
Transformed lives — not just sobriety — the goal of recovery ministries
Terry Walker fell to his knees in the shower stall of a South Texas substance abuse treatment center, crying out to God for release from the chains of addiction. “God blessed me with the gift of desperation,” Walker said. “At…
Graduation rates at religious schools outpace those at other universities
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Religiously affiliated universities rank the highest nationwide in graduating their students, while hundreds of public and private universities fall far below the low average of graduated students, according to a recent report based on data from the…
Huckabee steers hard right on Iran, abortion in speech to SBC pastors
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — Mike Huckabee, a former and potential Republican presidential candidate, staked out conservative political ground in a speech to Southern Baptist pastors. While only obliquely referring to President Obama, the former Baptist pastor and Arkansas governor took…
What to do with excess embryos? One researcher has an idea
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The woman across the table told Jeanne Loring she was on the horns of a dilemma — feed and clothe her existing family or continue to pay to keep frozen her embryos from an earlier fertility treatment….
‘Great Commission demands sacrifice,’ says Rankin in IMB’s report to SBC
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) — An evening of testimonies conveyed both miracles and the remaining challenges of a lost world. And Southern Baptists responded on their knees with prayer — and a gift of more than $100,000 to international missions June…
FAITHSHAPERS: Parenting in Bizarro World
Keep those questions coming, Bizarro parents. Our topic for today is, “How can I set up my children to fail?” Every parent in Bizarro world dreams of watching their children crash and burn repeatedly, but we can’t just sit back…
Southeastern Seminary president calls SBC executive’s comments ‘shameful’
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary called comments in a speech by the Southern Baptist Executive Committee President Morris Chapman “disingenuous” and “shameful.” Seminary President Danny Akin was addressing a panel discussion hosted by B21 at…
VIRGINIA BAPTIST FORUM: Praise for former pastor
During my teen years Les Schwemer was the pastor of my home church, Emmanuel Baptist in rural Amherst County. He served small rural churches in Virginia his entire ministry. He retired from Sycamore Baptist in Woolwine. It was a great…
Domestic missionaries seeking new converts online
ORLANDO, Fla. — For centuries, missionaries have ventured to the farthest reaches of the globe to share the gospel. Today, the new mission field is just a mouse click away. Some 2 million surfers a day type keywords like “God”…
Shuttered stores find new life as churches
HUNTLEY, Ill. (RNS) — At Prime Outlets in Huntley, Ill., a former fine china store will become the home of Christian Life Church. “This provided an opportunity, from moving from being kind of a homeless church, if you will, to…
ABCUSA delegates reject bylaw changes
PASADENA, Calif. (ABP) — While celebrating the denomination’s broad ethnic, regional and language diversity at their biennial meeting June 26-28, members of the American Baptist Churches USA also exhibited their ideological diversity. Delegates, meeting in Pasadena, Calif., torpedoed a major…