By Daniel Wallace The Christian mandate to fight poverty is as old as Scripture, but doing it requires constant creativity. “We recognize that we can’t rely on any one source of funds or any one way of doing things to…
Woman named to lead British Baptists
By Bob Allen Forty-eight-year-old Lynn Green was elected May 4 as general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. The first woman to hold the post, she replaces Jonathan Edwards, who steps down in July after seven years. Green…
Full text of open letter from Ginter Park pastor Mandy England Cole to Richmond Baptist Association
On May 5, pastor Mandy England Cole of Ginter Park Baptist Church sent the following open letter to the “staff, executive council and churches of the Richmond Baptist Association.” This week staff and leaders of the Richmond Baptist Association paid…
Ginter Park pastor sends open letter as a quarter of Richmond association churches consider leaving
RICHMOND — Seven weeks after the Richmond Baptist Association narrowly voted to retain the membership of a church which ordained a gay man to the ministry, about a quarter of the association’s congregations have ended ties with it or are…
Disaster ministry: calling or compulsion?
By Jeff Brumley Leaders of faith-based disaster-recovery agencies say there’s nothing like calamity to invigorate a Christian’s faith. Pastors of churches where disasters strike have noticed a difference in people, too. “Whether it’s man-made or something from nature, I think…
‘iFaith’ explored at Baylor symposium
By Ken Camp Social media may link people across the globe, while at the same time segmenting them generationally, one of American’s foremost scholars on technology and the church told an April 29 gathering at Baylor University’s George W. Truett…
Baptist historian Leon McBeth dies
By Bob Allen H. Leon McBeth, a Baptist historian and scholar who authored nine books, died April 29 at age 81. McBeth, retired chair of the history department at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, received numerous awards for his contributions to…
In new books, John Chandler aims to help leaders listen more closely to God
John Chandler, leader of the Spence Network, recently released three books — Praying the Kings, Praying the Prophets and Praying Wisdom — aiming to engage leaders more deeply in Scripture. He recently discussed his motivations for writing the books. Q:…
HERITAGE: ‘What am I to do?’
The weekend of May 3-5 marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville near Fredericksburg, Va. An ambitious reenactment was planned, with armies of men in blue and grey, the sounds of cannon fire and the excitement of make-believe…
Beneath the stereotypes, a stressful life for preachers’ kids
(RNS) — The day Franklin Graham was born, he received a telegram. “Welcome to this sin-sick world,” the Western Union message said, “and to the challenge you have to walk in your daddy’s footsteps.” It didn’t take long for Graham,…
Still obsessed with End Times
Just because Jesus told his disciples God alone knows when he will return, that hasn’t prevented 2,000 years of Christian speculation. “Some have said: ‘Jesus just said we can’t know the day or the hour. But that doesn’t mean we…
VITAL SIGNS: How to ruin a sermon
Healthy churches are marked by engaging worship. Engaging worship is nearly always marked by excellent preaching. Good preaching comes in a myriad of forms in a multitude of settings. Don’t let anyone fool you: there is no one way to preach…