By Jeff Brumley Ministers of spiritual formation are turning to the World Wide Web to counter the interference that hectic schedules, frequent traveling, social media and all the other demands of modern life can have on healthy discipleship. Jayne Davis,…
AU head says IRS scrutiny warranted
By Bob Allen An advocate for church/state separation says evangelist Franklin Graham has no right to complain about an IRS audit because of rules against partisan politics by nonprofit organizations that are exempt from paying taxes. Graham wrote a letter…
OPINION: Who are you?
One of the great struggles of life is finding your identity. Discerning who you are and what you are about are key parts of our human development and our maturation. Two films playing currently deal with the issue of identity…
Baptists respond to Texas tornadoes
By Ken Camp Disaster-relief volunteers from Texas Baptist Men offered comfort to injured people, helped clear debris and provided meals to rescue workers after tornadoes ripped through North Central Texas Wednesday evening, May 15. A series of tornadoes touched down…
Sexual-abuse resolution proposed
By Bob Allen A resolution submitted for consideration at next month’s Southern Baptist Convention in Houston claims that failure by influential leaders to confront the sexual abuse of children by clergy is giving the denomination a bad name. Peter Lumpkins,…
SBC leader rejects Boy Scout compromise
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top official for moral concerns is urging the Boy Scouts of America to reject a proposal next week to drop its ban on youth members who are gay. Richard Land, head of the…
Virginia church aims to minister to children without one or both parents through 127JUNCTION
Following the mandate in James 1:27 for Christ’s followers to care for orphans in need, Community Heights Baptist Church in Southwest Virginia has initiated a ministry it calls 127JUNCTION to mobilize its members to care for the physical, emotional and…
Electronic reading is growing, and church libraries are taking note
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — It’s a sign of the times. Technology is changing what and how people read. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that the number of Americans reading electronic books has doubled since 2009. With the…
HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic
Accepted a new call? Been ordained? Church celebrating an anniversary? Mission trip or project that you would like highlighted on the HeraldBeat page? Send info to HeraldBeat editor Barbara Francis at [email protected]. Transitions ON THE MOVE Tom Ficklin, to Southampton…
How transparent are churches and denominations?
Many churches have cut back the number of business meetings held each year. Some have scaled back publications — particularly mailed-out print versions. Some large churches with communications staff or a department have eliminated them or severely reduced their resources….
OPINION: Social media for the responsible Christian
We are living in anxious times. As we plunge deeper into a postmodern existence, our anxiety can be felt in declining church attendance, the loss of confidence in government and civic organizations, and the overarching realization that the metanarratives which…
OPINION: Stretch
A few weeks ago church leaders from across the country got together in Alexandria, Va., for the Missio Alliance conference. They met to proclaim a shared sense of call to re-imagine church, how we tell the gospel story, mission and…