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…
Steve Shoemaker resigns pulpit
By Bob Allen The Charlotte Observer reported Feb. 20 that Stephen Shoemaker, senior minister at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., is resigning his pulpit in order to focus full-time on his recovery from depression. In his first sermon…
TRENDING: Past the in-fighting?
My friend and mentor Mike Breen is an apostolic leader with keen global eyes. So when he recently issued his “State of the Evangelical Union,” it had my full attention. We’ll explore key themes from it in the next four…
OPINION: Shifted lives
Since I’ve been a father, I’ve been a subscriber to cable television for a total of 36 hours. That is how long it took my wife and me to realize that we were unwilling to pay for that quantity of…
OPINION: Burt’s Bees and thinking outside the hive
They were the most unlikely of business partners. In 1984 the beautiful town of Bangor, Maine, offered few stable jobs and many people still got by working odd jobs, trading for goods, and growing their own produce. Alex Gallimore Burt…



