By Bob Allen A Lebanese Baptist leader says the West should be helping Christians to stay in the Middle East, not offering them visas to escape. Nabil Costa, executive director of the Lebanese Society for Education and Social Development, opposes…
New book proposes a theology for ‘other’ Baptists
By Bob Allen Four centuries after originating as a protest movement within the church, Baptists today have evolved into a distinct sect committed to preserving its place in a hierarchy of denominations, Baptist theologian Curtis Freeman argues in a new…
Baptist disaster experts face Ebola, opposition ministering to immigrants
By Jeff Brumley Members of the North American Baptist Fellowship’s Disaster Response Network covered just about every national and global hotspot in two days of meetings that concluded Wednesday in Lake Charles, La. Representatives from 15 Baptist organizations — ranging from…
Clergy, educators challenge Florida voucher plan
By Bob Allen A retired Baptist pastor active in Americans United for Separation of Church and State joined educators and fellow clergy in a lawsuit claiming a Florida school-voucher program is unconstitutional. Harry Parrott Jr., an ordained American Baptist minister…
Lofty fundraiser leads Baptist to climb Kilimanjaro
By George Henson Bertha De La Garza ascended to loftier heights than before by climbing Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro this summer. The Baptist from Abilene, Texas, also reached new spiritual heights during the hike, which raised money for a global sports…
David Platt elected IMB president
By Bob Allen David Platt, a 36-year-old pastor active in the “young, restless and reformed” movement in the Southern Baptist Convention, was elected Aug. 27 as president of the SBC International Mission Board. Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook…
David Hull to join the Center for Healthy Churches
By Bob Allen A veteran Baptist pastor who stepped down in April after his wife became a pastor in another town has accepted a new role with a consulting firm devoted to improving the spiritual, emotional and organizational health of…
Liberian seminary responds to humanitarian crisis
By Bob Allen The interim president of a Baptist seminary forced out of Liberia by the Ebola outbreak says the crisis is taking a toll far greater than those who catch the illness. Richard Wilson, a professor at Mercer University…
Wilshire honors George Mason for 25 years as pastor
By Bob Allen A prominent Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Church in Texas marked its pastor’s 25th anniversary Aug. 24 by renaming a model pastoral residency program in his honor. A weekend-long celebration at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas culminated with a…
Baptists prepared for Calif. quake response
By Jeff Brumley The CrossWalk Community Church social media presence changed drastically in tone over the weekend, from good-natured ice bucket challenges on Saturday to urgent pleas to help earthquake victims on Sunday. “We will be open for prayer at…
Church-state group opposes tax break for Ark museum
By Bob Allen A nonprofit group advocating church-state separation urged Kentucky officials in an Aug. 22 letter to deny tax incentives for a proposed theme park based on Noah’s Ark, claiming the break would compel taxpayers to support both employment…
Deaths of pastor, wife, ruled murder/suicide
By Bob Allen The deaths of a Baptist pastor and his wife discovered Aug. 20 by their granddaughter in the patio area of their home in Lumberton, N.C., have been ruled a murder-suicide. The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office released a…