ATLANTA (ABP) — Western Baptists need to leave Christendom behind and become more like the early church, Denton Lotz told about 150 persons attending a Baptist World Alliance dinner June 23. Lotz, who is general secretary of BWA, said many…
Episcopalians send mixed messages, Presbyterians moderate at meetings
ATLANTA (ABP) — The nation's largest Presbyterian and Episcopal bodies sent mixed messages on sexual-orientation issues in their just-concluded national meetings. Leaders of the Episcopal Church voted June 18 to elevate a gay-friendly female bishop to the denomination's highest American…
Hispanic leaders say Jesus’ ministry prompts focus on immigration reform
ATLANTA (ABP) — The central question in the debate on immigration reform is not about economics or politics, Hispanic Baptist leaders said June 23. “The basic issue is whether Jesus still has a mission to the poor,” Albert Reyes, president…
‘Information integrity’ essential to becoming world citizens, Nash tells ABP audience
ATLANTA (ABP) — Rob Nash, one day after being elected global missions coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, urged about 300 Baptists at an Associated Baptist Press banquet to pursue “information integrity” on their way to becoming “citizens of the…
Baptist politics ‘wreaking havoc’ on universities, Godsey warns
ATLANTA (ABP) — Baptist higher education faces a monumental crisis, due in large part to abuses of control and financial dependence, longtime university president Kirby Godsey told participants at the Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society's annual meeting June 22 in Atlanta….
Baptism meanings and methods spark debate among some Baptists
DALLAS (ABP) — Disputes about baptism are troubling the waters among some Baptists. From a controversial guideline of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, which narrows the definition of an acceptable baptism of a new missionary, to churches that wrestle…
CBF supporters discuss ways to respond to AIDS pandemic
ATLANTA (ABP) — Although Baptists and other Christians responded slowly and poorly 25 years ago to the advent of AIDS, God has been in the trenches from the start, said David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “God is…
WMUV executive taking sabbatical
Earlene Jessee, executive director of Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia, is taking a sabbatical to address medical issues, as well as focus on academic projects. Jessee said she expects to return to her position Sept. 1. In the meantime, day-to-day…
CBF to hold 16th annual General Assembly in Atlanta
The 16th Annual Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly, held June 21-24 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, was expected to engage the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, receive a challenging message of social justice from a South African minister, engage…
Church founded by Lottie Moon leaves temple for new building
(ABP) — A vibrant congregation founded by Lottie Moon, the famous missionary to China, has moved out of the crumbling temple it used as a meeting place, thanks to a church located thousands of miles away. The partnership with Mountain…
EDITORIAL: Time will tell
The Southern Baptist Convention held last week was hailed by many as an historic event — a changing of the guard; a broadening of the tent; a defining of their values. I hope this is so. I hope and pray…
WMU retains auxiliary status after Greensboro SBC vote
Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting voted down a proposal asking the Woman's Missionary Union to become an official entity of the SBC. The proposal's defeat allows WMU to retain its status as an auxiliary of the SBC. The…