(ABP) — It is hard to describe the euphoria felt by most of us who attended the New Baptist Covenant meeting in Atlanta this past week. I would like to analyze that euphoria as reflecting layers of healing and maybe…
The security of the believer: Protecting churches from attack
NEW YORK (ABP) — One day after a shooter killed two sisters at Colorado's New Life Church, Pastor Brady Boyd told reporters the church had become a target because of its size and its notoriety. But the toll to the…
New Baptist Covenant: Unity. Harmony. Now, what comes next?
ATLANTA (ABP) — Fifteen thousand participants in the New Baptist Covenant convocation arrived in Atlanta Jan. 30 seeking unity in Christ and departed Feb. 1 wondering where their quest will lead. In the meantime, they demonstrated racial, theological and geographic…
Respond to critics with ‘spirit of love,’ Clinton tells Baptists
ATLANTA (ABP)-The only way for a broad group of Baptists to move toward their goal of unity is with a spirit of humility and forgiveness, former President Bill Clinton told participants of the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant Feb….
Separation of church & state can be complex, but it’s worth the effort, speakers insist
ATLANTA (ABP)-Although often difficult to negotiate, drawing the proper line between church and state is worth it for both institutions, according to experts in the topic. A panel of religious-liberty advocates addressed a small-group session of the Celebration of a…
Sexual exploitation alive in America; churches can end it
ATLANTA (ABP)– Many churchgoers know human trafficking and sexual exploitation are global issues. But more than 200,000 children in the United States have become “sex commodities” as well, Baptist social workers say. Ellyn Waller and Brenda Troy led a discussion…
Prophetic preaching breaks down barriers, builds up God’s kingdom
ATLANTA (ABP) — Breaking down barriers, healing the hurting, challenging Christians to transcend categories of “us and them” and announcing the coming kingdom of God are just a few of the roles prophetic preachers must fill, according to speakers at…
Public servants & preachers challenge Baptists to welcome ‘the stranger’
ATLANTA (ABP) — The biblical command to “welcome the stranger” encompasses support for all of those on society's margins, prominent preachers and public servants told participants at the celebration of a New Baptist Covenant Feb. 1. In the Friday-morning plenary…
Gore: ‘Heaping contempt’ on creation inconsistent with glorifying God
ATLANTA (ABP) — Christians who speak out for environmentalism can combat skepticism and end America's addiction to carbon fuels, Al Gore told 2,000 Baptists who gathered to hear him Jan. 31 in part of a three-day celebration of denominational unity….
Global ills take center stage at Baptist convocation in Atlanta
ATLANTA (ABP) — Baptists focused attention on social and global ills — materialism, climate change, HIV/AIDS and apathy — during the second day of a unity meeting in Atlanta. Tony Campolo, Al Gore and John Grisham provided the notable speeches…
Campolo to Baptists: ‘Rise up, you suckers, and do the work of Jesus’
ATLANTA (ABP) — Author Tony Campolo challenged Baptists from across North America to examine which Jesus they preach — the one who incarnates American values or the one who incarnates God. Campolo, professor emeritus at Eastern University near Philadelphia, and…
Regain respect by rejecting exclusion, author Grisham urges fellow Baptists
ATLANTA (ABP) — The name “Baptist” is not widely respected in America “because for so long so many Baptists have worked so hard to exclude so many,” best-selling author and Baptist layman John Grisham said Jan. 31. Grisham told a…