To borrow from Abe Lincoln, “God must have loved small churches because he made so many of them.” One of them is Chatham Baptist Church, set to celebrate its 150th anniversary this summer. Chatham Baptist is much like many other…
After nurses, clergy rank among nation’s most ethical
DALLAS (ABP) — Americans may trust their pastors almost as much as they trust their nurses. That's according to a Dec. 12 USA Today/Gallup Poll. For the sixth year in a row, nursing topped the list as the most ethical…
No ‘Hog’ hereafter: Ga. church votes to purge piggy name
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (ABP) — A Baptist church in a rapidly growing part of Georgia is no longer sitting high on the hog, thanks to a recent name-changing vote. And some longtime members of the 152-year-old congregation as well as those…
Japanese university names former Southern Baptist missionary as president
FUKUOKA, Japan (ABP) — A Japanese university founded by Southern Baptist missionaries has named one as its new president. Trustees of Seinan Gakuin University in Fukuoka, Japan, have elected Gary Barkley as the school's ninth president. Barkley will be the…
BGCT gives authorities information about alleged misuse of funds
DALLAS (ABP) — The Baptist General Convention of Texas has given authorities information about the alleged misuse of the convention's church-starting funds between 1999 and 2005. A convention representative gave officials at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District…
Watchdog group wants Pentagon inquiry in evangelical group’s video promo
ARLINGTON, Va. (ABP) — The influence of evangelical Christians in the military's highest ranks is again under question, after complaints about an evangelical group's promotional video that features several top-ranking Pentagon officers, some in uniform. The Pentagon inspector general's office…
Opinion: A glimmer of hope for Iraq
This recent report of the Iraq Study Group offers a welcome infusion of wisdom and bipartisanship in the tortured struggle over what to do about Iraq. The carefully written report offers the only glimmer of hope recently seen in this…
For Christians, ‘Nativity’ overcomes mixed reviews, potential scandal
LOS ANGELES (ABP) — One week after its debut, a movie based on the Gospels' simple Nativity narrative is spurring optimism among Christian film fans, who seem willing to overlook potentially scandalous news about one of the movie's stars. “The…
New leaders
The Virginia Baptist Mission Board elected new officers Nov. 28 and examined challenges facing Virginia Baptists in the 21st century. At their organizational meeting, held each year following the annual session of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, the board…
SBCV marks 10th anniversary
The Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia kicked off their annual meeting Nov. 13-14 with a look back at the 10-year-old convention's history through videos and testimonies telling the story of God's work through the SBCV's nearly 500 churches. Nearly 1,300…
Evangelical Forum meets in Virginia Beach
A gifted pastor and a professor were enlisted this year to address the Evangelical Forum. Using Romans 11:33 as his focal passage, Andrew Davis, pastor of First Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., modeled doctrinal preaching in delivering an expository sermon…
Md./Del. Baptists encouraged to ‘Embrace the Call’
Baptists in Maryland and Delaware were challenged to “Embrace the Call” to worship, disciple, serve and witness during their 171st annual meeting in Solomons, Md., Nov. 13-14. Robert Smith Jr., an associate professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School in…