By Bob Allen A retired Southern Baptist missionary, whose attempts to evangelize Muslims in Middle Tennessee recently attracted attention in national media, died unexpectedly the day before Thanksgiving. Raouf Ghattas, 69, pastor of the Arabic Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn.,…
A Philadelphia story, with a bright future
The offer seemed at first like manna from heaven. A developer walked into First Baptist Church of Philadelphia and offered $2 million to buy the historic 68,000 square foot building that was suffocating the tiny congregation with constant maintenance. He…
Partnership saves historic Baptist church
By Bob Allen A unique partnership involving government, preservationists and a community theater group has helped rescue a historically significant but endangered Baptist church building in Massachusetts. The stately First Baptist Church, a fixture in downtown New Bedford, Mass., since…
Online Advent devotionals start Friday
By Bob Allen “Following the Star,” a series for Advent and Christmas, returns to Passport, Inc.’s devotional website d365.org Nov. 27. Daily entries will feature Scripture, prayer and meditative thoughts accompanied by gentle music. This year’s writers include Mihee Kim-Kort,…
For surrogate mother, it’s all about making dreams reality
By Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann Though nothing we do compares to the love God showed by giving the world Jesus, opportunities abound to let Christian faith shine through the love shown to others, and when they arise, God asks us to take…
Booted pastor defends ‘nuanced’ view of LGBT inclusion
By Bob Allen A South Carolina Baptist pastor whose decision to officiate a same-sex wedding got his church kicked out of its local association and state convention says he is concerned about a culture within the Baptist faith that is…
Church building on site of SBC’s birth declared unsafe
By Bob Allen The birthplace of the Southern Baptist Convention in downtown Augusta, Ga., has been condemned for occupancy after a routine inspection, the Augusta Chronicle reported Nov. 23. The city inspection came amid reports that homeless people were sleeping…
Divinity school deans: Changing theological education easier said than done
By Ken Camp and Jeff Brumley Theological education should help “the whole people of God” move toward maturity as the body of Christ — and that means moving beyond traditional ways of providing that learning, Linda Cannell said during B.H. Carroll…
Abortion study finds gap between pulpit and pew
By Bob Allen One third of Protestant women who have had an abortion are Baptist, more than Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians combined, according to new statistics on abortion and church attendance collected by LifeWay Research. Those numbers are similar to…
Myers Park Baptist Church calls pastor
By Bob Allen A two-year search for a new pastor of Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., ended Nov. 22 with the unanimous election of Benjamin Boswell. Boswell, 35, is the youngest senior pastor ever to serve at the…
Online hymn collection aims to comfort those grieving after events like Paris attacks
By Jeff Brumley Those still in shock from last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris and other places should try joining others in song, Deborah Carlton Loftis says. Ditto, she adds, for those grieving the sudden death of a church member,…
SBC expert claims boy in Barbie ad bends gender
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists’ go-to authority on “gender issues” is no fan of Mattel’s new Barbie ad challenging the stereotype that boys do not play with dolls. Bob Stith, founder of Family and Gender Issues Ministries in Southlake, Texas,…