It can be difficult to hear God's word in today's media-saturated culture of iPods, YouTube, satellite radio, and DirecTV with over 500 channels and on-demand movies, two culture observers at Houston Baptist University conclude. “We are shaped by popular culture…
Southern gospel music legend Dottie Rambo dies in crash
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. (ABP) — Southern gospel music singer and songwriter Dottie Rambo, 74, was killed when her tour bus ran off a highway near Mount Vernon, Mo., May 11. She was en route to an engagement in Texas after…
Narnia creators seek to turn beloved books into accessible movies
NEW YORK (RNS) — C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia book series is so revered by Christian readers, adapting the books into film becomes a delicate tightrope. Changes risk alienating fans, but what works in the books doesn't always translate well…
Longtime Baptist musician, seminary professor dies in Florida at 86
ORANGE PARK, Fla. (ABP) — Longtime Baptist hymn writer and music professor Hugh McElrath passed away May 8 at his winter home in Penney Farms, Fla. He also resided in Louisville, Ky. He was 86. McElrath was a professor of…
Bible printing plant opens in China, plans 12 million Bibles each year
NANJING, China — A huge new printing plant opened May 18 in suburban Nanjing. It is one of the largest facilities in the world dedicated to printing Bibles. Amity Printing Company was established to print Bibles for mainland China, though…
Ginn named SBCV’s executive
RICHMOND (BP) — The executive board of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia has selected a Richmond-area pastor, Jeffery Ginn, as the state convention's new executive director-treasurer, effective June 2. Ginn, senior pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Colonial…
EDITORIAL: What’s behind the declining numbers?
I do not typically see myself as having a lot in common with Paige Patterson. I am sure he would agree. In truth, however, we are more theologically akin than we are different. We both believe that God created human…
Texas minister arrested in sting
PLANO, Texas (BP) — A minister from Prestonwood Baptist Church has been arrested in a sting operation for soliciting sex with a minor. Joe Barron, 52, a minister to married adults at the Dallas-area church, was arrested May 15 in…
Where loyalty reigns
It was Loyalty Sunday on May 18, 2008, at Manly Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington and the day has been observed for so long that no one seems to recall its origin. But it really does not matter because loyalty…
3 Baptist universities rank high in survey
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Three Baptist universities were listed among the top 50 national universities in a new results-based ranking by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP), based in Washington. The two-year-old nonprofit organization ranked Wake Forest University at…
SECOND OPINION: Running where Jesus walked
‘Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons,” Isaiah…
Baylor president’s future in doubt
WACO, Texas (ABP) — John Lilley may be the latest endangered leader at the world's largest Baptist school, according to reports in the local newspaper. The Waco Tribune-Herald reported May 17 that Baylor University leaders declined to discuss whether the…