JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Seven members of rival conservative groups in the Missouri Baptist Convention will go to mediation in an effort to bring about peace within the battle-torn statewide group. The MBC Executive Board voted on April 15…
Opinion: Discipleship and the ‘outside world’
(ABP) — Quite by coincidence, I had just finished reading Carolyn Jessup's Escape when the news stories broke about the raids on the Texas ranch of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. The “escape” of the book's title is…
Sudanese Baptists reunite after years-long division
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — After years of division precipitated by one of history's deadliest civil wars, Sudanese Baptists have finally — like their nation — reunited. The reunification of the Sudan Interior Church North and the Sudan Interior Church…
N.C. college receives donation of 1686 Luther Bible translation
MARS HILL, N.C. (ABP) — Across the centuries, across the ocean, through bombings and world wars, a sacred bit of history has emerged from the distant past to find a home at Mars Hill College. The North Carolina Baptist school…
Texas church, mired in controversy over gays in directory, loses pastor
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) – Brett Younger, pastor of Broadway Baptist Church index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=113 Fort Worth, Texas, survived a vote to fire him last month but is leavindex.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=113g the church anyway – to become associate professor of preachindex.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=113g at Mercer University's…
Pope, in first visit to United States, praises freedom, dings secularism
WASHINGTON (ABP) — In his first visit to the United States since ascending to the Throne of St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI hailed America’s religious freedom and pluralism while simultaneously denouncing secularism’s influence. The pontiff’s tour of the United States…
ABP honors Texas convention, announces $100,000 challenge
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — Directors of Associated Baptist Press honored the Baptist General Convention of Texas and announced a $100,000 matching-funds challenge from a Texas Baptist family during their semi-annual meeting, held April 14-15 in San Antonio. “Every year, since…
‘Photo-evangelism’ shown to be effective new missionary tool
LYNCHBURG — When Ralph and Tammy Stocks answered the call to the mission field, they assumed that their ministries would lead people to Christ. But neither of them imagined that one of their best evangelism methods would be family photos….
A tribute to Upper Zion
Several weeks ago I had the privilege of taking a guided tour of the Upper Zion area of Fort A.P. Hill with my mother, Evlyn Upshaw, and her sister, Annie Purks. These two sisters wept as they shared memories of…
SECOND OPINION: The utilitarian temptation
A few weeks ago, I was reminded in a news article that Judge Paul Pressler had actually said, at the beginning of the Southern Baptist controversy, that his side must “go for the jugular.” This is an image of slaying…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for April 17, 2008
STAFF CHANGES • Ben Thomas, to Bethany Church, Woodford, as full-time pastor. • Eric Kieselbach, to Kearfott Memorial Church, Martinsville, as pastor. • James N. Kim, to New Life International Church, as pastor. This is a new mission congregation meeting…
Standing fast in liberty
In the days when they called themselves “colored,” the African-American Baptists of Southside Virginia decided that they needed to organize a new district association. Hasadiah Baptist Association was so large that it covered 200 miles across 21 counties and included…