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…
ANALYSIS: Will the Kermit Gosnell verdict change the abortion debate?
(RNS) — Even before rogue abortionist Kermit Gosnell was convicted in Philadelphia on May 13 of delivering and then killing late-term infants, abortion opponents were convinced they had a case that could reshape an abortion debate that has remained static…
What now for West, Texas? The challenge comes when public attention goes away
What now for West, Texas? The challenge comes when public attention goes away Marv Knox and Jeff Brumley (ABP) — The outpouring of sympathy and solidarity for West, Texas, has been immense since a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 —…
What now for West, Texas? The challenge comes when public attention goes away
(ABP) — The outpouring of sympathy and solidarity for West, Texas, has been immense since a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 — including 12 first-responders — on April 17. Thursday’s memorial in nearby Waco underscored that by drawing thousands, including…
In a low-trust environment, do churches operate on a need-to-know basis?
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….
Denominational entities struggle to find balance between privacy and openness
Baptists follow the congregational form of church governance — every member who wants to can have a say in the way the church and the denomination operate. But how much access does the average church member have to information about…
Missional before missional was cool
By Jeff Brumley An expert on church leadership says Mission Arlington was missional before missional was cool. But founder Tillie Burgin doesn’t care much for the term. “It was always confusing to me, and we certainly never use it,” Burgin,…
Florida editor takes seminary post
By Bob Allen Florida Baptist Witness editor Jim Smith is stepping down July 31 to become chief spokesman for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., the Florida Baptist Convention newspaper reported May 15. Smith, 48, worked previously at Southern…
MK charged with campus arson
By Bob Allen A missionary kid who lived 12 years in South Africa faces felony crimes related to recent car fires on the campuses of Missouri Baptist University and Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. Andrew Wos, 24, of Eureka, Mo.,…
Sex crimes, cover-up, alleged in lawsuit
By Bob Allen A Calvinist church-planting network with ties to Southern Baptist leaders faces new allegations of covering up sexual abuse of children in a 46-page amended lawsuit filed May 14 in Maryland. The new court document includes graphic descriptions…
Sex crimes, cover-up, alleged in lawsuit
By Bob Allen A Calvinist church-planting network with ties to Southern Baptist leaders faces new allegations of covering up sexual abuse of children in a 46-page amended lawsuit filed May 14 in Maryland. The new court document includes graphic descriptions…