LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention re-elected Georgia pastor Johnny Hunt as president during the June 23-24 convention meeting in Louisville, Ky. In his nomination speech, Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., described Hunt,…
SBC re-elects Johnny Hunt as president
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention re-elected Georgia pastor Johnny Hunt as president during the June 23-24 convention meeting in Louisville, Ky. Johnny Hunt talks to reporters following his re-election as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In…
Younger ministers flock to Louisville seeking place in SBC
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — A younger generation of ministers cannot be expected to support a denominational system that doesn't advance their church's mission, a panel said at a June 23 forum on the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. Church…
Retired BWA leader Lotz receives freedom award from Adventists
BWA General Secretary Emeritus Denton Lotz (R) receives the ward from John Graz, secretary general of the International Religious Liberty Association. (BWA photo) WASHINGTON (ABP) — Retired Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Denton Lotz has been honored by the Seventh-day…
UPDATE: SBC messengers sever ties with Texas church over gay members
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — It took messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 23 only 30 seconds to sever a 125-year relationship with a prominent Texas congregation because of the church’s perceived toleration of gay members. Voting in…
Mike Huckabee slams Obama on Iran, abortion in speech to SBC pastors
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — Mike Huckabee — the once and (possibly) future Republican presidential candidate — staked out conservative political ground in a June 22 speech to Southern Baptist pastors. While only obliquely referring to the man he might run…
Huckabee criticizes Obama on Iran
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — Mike Huckabee — the once and (possibly) future Republican presidential candidate — staked out conservative political ground in a June 22 speech to Southern Baptist pastors. While only obliquely referring to the man he might run…
SBC Executive Committee proposes ouster of church over homosexuality
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is recommending that the denomination sever ties with a prominent Texas church over homosexuality. If messengers to the convention’s annual meeting, set for June 23-24 in Louisville, Ky., agree to…
RIGHT OR WRONG: Church assistance for those impacted by the economy
My pastor tells me that, with the downturn in the economy, more people are requesting assistance from our church. We have limited funds. What can we do? Your church is not alone in facing the extra strain on resources. Having…
Religious charities gain in a down year
Religious organizations reported a 5.5 increase in donations last year, a marked contrast from the nationwide 2-percent decline in charitable giving, according to a study by Giving USA Foundation. Religious congregations, which accounted for 35 percent of the total $307…
Megachurches attract many under 45
Megachurches are most attractive to younger adults, and almost all who arrive at their sanctuaries have darkened a church’s door before, a new survey shows. The study by Leadership Network and Hartford Institute for Religion Research, released June 9 found…
Barmen Declaration offers relevant lessons 75 years after its publication
ATLANTA (ABP) — A document written three-quarters of a century ago to protest rising nationalism in Nazi Germany’s Protestant churches provides instruction for American Christians navigating through today’s culture wars, say a Baptist ethicist and Methodist filmmaker working together against…