“Pope Benedict, tweeting as @Pontifex, has 1.5 million followers, which is pretty good, but he has tweeted exactly 35 times — and the messages read like boilerplate composed by a dutiful intern.” Bill Keller The New York Times columnist was…
ANALYSIS: White smoke, black pope? The odds against an ‘Obama moment’
(RNS) — Will the conclave electing a new pope next month have an “Obama moment” and pick someone from Africa or Latin America or Asia for the first time in modern history? The public seems enamored of the idea of…
U.S. House funds disaster aid for churches
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The U.S. House of Represen-tatives overwhelmingly ap-proved a bill Feb. 13 to allow houses of worship damaged by Hurricane Sandy to receive disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, despite warnings by advocacy groups that the…
The gospel roots of the ‘Godmother of rock ‘n’ roll’
(RNS) — Before Elvis and Chuck Berry and Johnny Cash. Before Aretha and Whitney and Beyonce. Before the blues met gospel and conceived rock ‘n’ roll, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The first gospel superstar, Tharpe was a guitar hero…
A gift to be simple
By Robert Dilday Whether inspired by religious devotion or just frustration with modernity, some people feel drawn to simple living. Since at least the middle of the 19th century, when Henry Thoreau described his solitary two years in a hut on…
Photojournalist Don Rutledge dies
By Robert Dilday Donald Rutledge, a renowned photographer whose images of mission activities are familiar to Baptists around the world, died Feb. 19 at 82. Rutledge’s work was published in magazines and books around the globe, winning more than 400…
Suzii Paynter elected to lead CBF
By Bob Allen Lay denominational worker Suzii Paynter of Austin, Texas, was elected Feb. 21 as the third executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The CBF Coordinating Council unanimously elected Paynter, whose nomination was announced Jan. 17 after a…
Longtime SBC journalist dies
By Bob Allen Leonard Hill, a career writer and editor of various publications of the Southern Baptist Convention, died Feb. 18 in Nashville, Tenn. Hill, 83, had lived for several years in a nursing facility. A member of First Baptist…
Laura McDaniel leaves WMUV executive position to take on new role with Spence Network
RICHMOND — Laura McDaniel is resigning as executive director of Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia to assume a newly-created position with the Spence Network, a leadership development organization with ties to Virginia Baptists. In her new role as network catalyst,…
Suzii Paynter elected Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s executive coordinator
ATLANTA (ABP) — Lay denominational worker Suzii Paynter of Austin, Texas, was elected Feb. 21 as the third executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The CBF Coordinating Council unanimously elected Paynter, whose nomination was announced Jan. 17 after a…
Lent offers opportunity for Christians to reflect on living simply as witness to gospel
Since at least the middle of the 19th century, when Henry Thoreau described his solitary two years in a hut on the shores of Walden Pond, the allure of the simple life has animated the imagination of generations of Americans…
Tebow audibles on FBC Dallas plan
By Bob Allen New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow has changed his mind about speaking at a Dallas mega church whose pastor has in the past made news with controversial comments about homosexuality, other faiths and political leaders. Tebow…