My professional pilgrimage has been marked by a sometimes painful series of movements between Christian academic institutions falling on opposite sides of the gender issue, or what has come to be called the complementarian/egalitarian divide. This has given me opportunity…
BWA president Coffey in Lebanon shortly after lawmaker’s assassination
BEIRUT, Lebanon (ABP) — The president of the Baptist World Alliance is touring Lebanon and the Middle East in the wake of an assassination of a Lebanese Parliament member and continued unrest in the tumultuous region. David Coffey arrived in…
Little Rock remembers scars of past, hopes for future of anti-racist faith
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (ABP) — When Jefferson Thomas enrolled at the formerly all-white Little Rock Central High School in 1957, he said only one white student treated him “in a Christianly manner.” When Thomas, who was raised Baptist, asked his…
Trustees question Roberts’ leadership after VP resigns from Midwestern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (ABP) — The chief financial officer at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary resigned Sept. 20 in a dispute with president Philip Roberts over a financial analysis that raised questions about Roberts' leadership, the school's trustee chairman said. David…
South Dakota honors Baptist woman who turned parsonage into coffee shop
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (ABP) — A coffeehouse on isolated Native American land is proof that a specialized business can succeed on a reservation in the middle of nowhere. Just ask Belva Matthews. She was honored Sept. 7 as one of…
Pastor of burned church, arsonist’s mom talk in chapel service about redemption
BRIERFIELD, Ala. (ABP) — An unlikely pair shared the pulpit at Judson College's weekly chapel Sept. 18. Jim Parker is pastor of the Ashby Baptist Church in Brierfield, Ala., the second of nine Alabama churches burned by arsonists in February…
New ‘ex-gay’ study hailed by Right raises methodological questions
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new study suggesting that religiously motivated conversion from homosexual orientation is possible and not harmful has been hailed by some social conservatives, while others are questioning the study's motive and methodology. The study, funded by an…
New issue of Heritage Seekers on the Bible is released
Adoniram and Ann Judson are the featured Baptist heroes in the new issue of Heritage Seekers, the magazine for children and families published by the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies. The theme of the issue is “Baptists and God's…
Hundreds of youth take part in Centri-Kid Camp at Bluefield
More than 200 kids spent a week on the campus of Bluefield College this summer, July 30 through Aug. 3, as part of a Southern Baptist youth camp called Centri-Kid. The youth, in grades four through seven representing a dozen…
Dobson, in message to colleagues, discourages support of Thompson
WASHINGTON (ABP) — One of the most powerful leaders in conservative evangelical Christianity has reportedly discouraged his colleagues from supporting Fred Thompson as a presidential candidate. James Dobson, according to a Sept. 19 Associated Press report, sent a private e-mail…
FIRST PERSON: Baptist ministry at JMU makes impact
“Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.” These words from St. Francis of Assisi encapsulate the passion and drive of the Christian Student Union at James Madison University, a collegiate ministry of Baptist Collegiate Ministries of…
Baptist heritage center recognizes Heritage fellows
RICHMOND — The Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies recognized three outstanding students at the annual meeting of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society in May. The fifth class of Heritage Fellows includes Mattie Patterson, a junior at the College of…