Baptist Women in Ministry director named. Pam Durso of Atlanta has been hired as the new full-time executive director for Baptist Women in Ministry. Durso, currently associate executive director-treasurer of the Baptist History & Heritage Society, will begin her duties…
Former SBC officer says he’s praying for President Obama’s death
BUENA PARK, Calif. (ABP) — A former Southern Baptist Convention officer called the murder of a controversial abortion provider in Kansas an answer to prayer, and he told a talk show host he also is praying for President Obama to…
Study of SBC restructuring unnecessary, Chapman asserts
NASHVILLE — A proposal to study a restructuring of the Southern Baptist Convention is not needed, SBC Executive Committee President Morris Chapman insists. Chapman made his feelings known about a proposed Great Commission Resurgence Declaration, issued in late April by…
FAITH DIGEST
Christianity Today cuts back. Christianity Today International, citing hard times in the publishing industry, is shutting down four publications and laying off 31 workers. Two magazines will fold later this year — Today’s Christian Woman and the Campus Life College…
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…
Ministers seek investigation into police shootings
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — Black Baptist preachers in Jacksonville, Fla., are calling for an independent investigation into a rash of recent shootings by police. Family members said Kiko Battle, fatally shot by police, wanted to be a barber. The…
Baptist ministers facing sex charges appear in court
LIBERTY, Mo. (ABP) — Southern Baptist ministers facing molestation charges in three states had recent days in court. Robert M. Black, 40, pastor of New Home Baptist Church near St. Joseph, Mo., pleaded not guilty June 18 to felony…
Baptist leaders urge Congress to pass climate-change bill
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…
Coalition of faith-based groups push for health-care reform as moral issue
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Ads airing on Christian and mainstream radio stations in several states are attempting to frame health care as a moral issue. Sponsored by a broad coalition of faith-based groups, the ads urge members of Congress…
What does it mean to be Baptist?
Some of the same theological disputes that divided Baptists throughout their first 400 years continue to distinguish different branches of the Baptist family tree in the early years of the 21st century, theologian James Leo Garrett said. And other challenges…
Sewing skills are key for Portsmouth congregation’s ministry
PORTSMOUTH — It started with a sewing pattern and a mission conference. Bruce Powers, pastor of Westhaven Baptist Church in Portsmouth, attended the MC2 conference sponsored by the VBMB last summer at Eagle Eyrie. Staffers of the Woman’s Missionary Union…
Young evangelicals tend to shun ‘conservative’ label, embrace ‘justice’
DULUTH, Ga. (ABP) — Younger evangelical pastors are less likely to self-identify as conservatives than older generations and more apt to view social justice as a gospel imperative, LifeWay Research director Ed Stetzer told a group of evangelical environmental activists….