From around the country 524 clergy responded to the call of North Dakota priest John Floberg to gather in support of the Sioux Nation’s attempts to stop construction of an encroaching oil pipeline near Standing Rock. Floberg, leader of three…
Opponents of new D.C. assisted death law vow appeal to Congress
Washington D.C. has become the sixth jurisdiction in the U.S. to approve so-called death-with-dignity legislation – but opponents vow to keep fighting against it. “We believe in life until natural death and that there is a racist component to it,”…
CBF sending new field personnel to China, New York City
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is seeking field personnel to fill positions in China and New York City. CBF announced online this week that it needs an individual, couple or family to serve a long-term assignment as a partnership advocate in…
Transitions for the week of 11.04.16
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly. STAFF CHANGES Jonathan Balmer, to Second & James Baptist Church, Waco, Texas, as minister of youth. Lacey B. Davis, to…
Church must sell off old ways and buildings to thrive in Reformation’s 500th year
A recent commentary posed a timely question: Does the Reformation matter anymore? The Religion News Service piece by Jacob Lupfer was inspired by the Oct. 31 start of the one-year countdown to the 500th anniversary of the religious revolution sparked…
Texas Baptist Men assumes long-term disaster recovery duties and employees from BGCT
Texas Baptist Men has assumed the responsibility for providing long-term disaster response from the Baptist General Convention of Texas, TBM announced this week. The change went into effect Nov. 1. TBM has provided shorter term disaster relief ministries for more…
Church-based recreation facilities and programs increasing
Being healthy is a requirement for Christians who see their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. But there is an additional, more down-to-earth, motivation for connecting faith and fitness, says Matt Rollins, minister of spiritual formation and outreach at…
BWA lauds German church for denouncing Martin Luther’s anti-Semitism
The leader of the Baptist World Alliance has lauded the Evangelical Church in Germany for its courageous stance in sustaining and nurturing the Christian faith in the European nation that gave birth to the Reformation — and for denouncing the anti-Semitism of…
Clergy from across U.S. to stand in solidarity with indigenous ‘water protectors’ at Standing Rock
More than 350 clergy from across the nation have said they will stand with the “water protectors” blocking construction of an oil pipeline adjacent to the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota during a “unified action” Nov. 3. John Floberg,…
Baptist pastor defends Muslim friends
A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship pastor in Oklahoma defended two imam friends accused by a state legislator of being terrorists. Rep. John Bennett (R-Sallisaw) said at a state Capitol hearing last week that Muslim groups operating in Oklahoma and across the…
Former Baylor president says his ouster wasn’t sudden
Former Baylor University President Ken Starr says in a forthcoming book that he was already on the way out when he was fired abruptly in May. He was let go amid a sexual assault scandal that prompted a federal investigation…
Pastoral counselor promotes song titles as path to mini-Sabbaths, pastoral health
James Stillwell is a licensed pastoral counselor who does plenty of traveling to see clients in Kentucky. And somewhere in there he has a marriage he wants to maintain. That’s where prayer, meditation and Bachman Turner Overdrive’s hit song “Taking…