NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — One week after an effort to oust 71 members of Two Rivers Baptist Church failed by four votes, the Nashville megachurch voted again and this time removed the dissidents on a show-of-hands vote. The congregation was…
RIGHT OR WRONG?
My son and his wife divorced and fought bitterly for custody of their 3-year-old son. Now, our former daughter-in-law refuses to let my wife and me visit our grandson. We believe she has a moral obligation to allow us to…
Baptist assistance project offered to churches
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) — With nearly half of the 43,000 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention baptizing three or fewer people, according to 2007 statistics, the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, the North American Mission Board and state and local…
British Baptists to go to Jamaica with apology for slave trade
DIDCOT, England (ABP) — A delegation of British Baptists has apologized, in person, to Jamaican Baptists for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. During a May 22-29 stay, the delegation met with Jamaican Baptists and worshipped in their churches, and saw some…
California court legalizes gay marriage
SAN FRANCISCO (BP) — The California Supreme Court May 15 issued a much-anticipated and landmark decision by ordering the state to legalize gay marriage, making it the second in the nation to do so and also setting up a dramatic…
Pass the popcorn: Christians called to make culture; let God handle transformation
(ABP) — Andy Crouch feels uncomfortable when Christians talk about “transforming culture” or “making an impact on society.” But he strongly believes churches should do far more to encourage Christians to make culture — right where they live. “I'm all…
Pass the Popcorn Analysis: Engage culture without assuming it
(ABP) — I've got to be brutally honest; I'm not a Rob Bell fan, although many of my students are. He has two best-selling books: Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (2005) and Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between…
Pass the Popcorn: Popular culture challenges Christians to ‘think outside the box’
HOUSTON (ABP) — 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. That's the conclusion reached by two culture observers on the…
Furman faculty, students divided over Bush speech
GREENVILLE, S.C. (ABP) – Students, administrators, faculty and alumni of Furman University are in an uproar over a speech by President Bush, scheduled for the school's May 31 commencement exercises in Greenville, S.C. The controversy at the moderate school –…
Pass the Popcorn: Christians struggle to decide how best to engage culture
(ABP) — If Christians don't learn to engage the popular culture that surrounds them, they will drown in it, experts insist. “Christians tend to hear the words ‘popular culture' and react as if spitting something yucky from their mouths,” said…
Bluefield College board approves strategic plan
BLUEFIELD, Va. (ABP) — Bluefield College will focus on academics, global service, expanded resources and partnerships as part of its new five-year strategic plan. Trustees of the Virginia Baptist school approved the four-part plan at their April board session. The…
Donor offers giving challenge at BTSR
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — The Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond could receive up to $1 million in new giving by the end of next April due to an anonymous donor's challenge to churches, seminary officials have announced. The donor —…