(RNS) — Who should Christians root for in Sunday’s Super Bowl: the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers? It may be a silly question to some, though not to millions of American believers who invest a lot of faith…
‘Mixed economy’ of existing and new forms of church needed to impact culture, N.C. leaders told
GREENSBORO — About 80 percent of North Carolina’s 9.7 million people don’t attend church and reaching them will require a “mixed economy” of both existing congregations and new forms of church, a group of Baptist leaders was told Feb. 1….
Month of preaching represents opportunity to increase presence of women in pulpits
This month, women pastors in Baptist churches across the nation will celebrate their role in the pulpit and for many — like Bailey Edwards Nelson, senior pastor of Flat Rock Baptist Church in Mount Airy, N.C. — the annual Martha…
World religions expert George Braswell marches to different drum in life, witness
BUIES CREEK, N.C. — George Braswell grew up “marching to a different drum” and, at 77, he still does. Braswell — a highly-regarded Baptist expert on world religions — spent much of his early life on the “wrong” side of…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Finding God’s futures: Standing on tiptoe to see over the horizon
Do you wish for a GPS to guide you into the future? Do you despair at only seeing your life, like Paul, “through a glass darkly”? How does God reveal what’s ahead to us? Most of us are interested…
Christ, Valentine heroes of Baylor prof
By Daniel Wallace Christian ethics is close to Roger Olson’s heart, he says, because it was close to Jesus’ heart. In fact, the Baylor University theologian and ethicist adds, Christ was as much about showing how to live a godly…
Contraceptive mandate opt-out expanded
By Bob Allen The Obama administration proposed a broader opt-out Feb. 1 for religious organizations that object to mandated coverage of contraceptives in employee health care plans, an effort to alleviate religious-liberty concerns behind a number of lawsuits challenging the…
Church loses second minister
By Ken Camp Jim Gray, 68, associate senior adult minister at First Baptist Church of Woodway, Texas, near Waco, was killed Jan. 30 in a head-on crash as he drove to the church for Wednesday night services. The accident happened…
Chick-fil-A flap didn’t hurt profits
By Bob Allen Last summer’s uproar over Chick-fil-A head Dan Cathy’s defense of the company’s support for organizations opposed to gay marriage didn’t hurt the company’s bottom line. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the fast-food giant took in $4.6 billion…
OPINION: Not afraid of kangaroos — Fear-based decision making
At my house, we love to play games. My son, at 3 the youngest member of our family, will play games until he literally falls asleep sitting up. He has a few favorites: Granny’s House, Chutes and Ladders, Uno, Trouble…
American Baptists laud ‘Gang of 8’ plan
By Bob Allen American Baptist leaders tasked with ministry to immigrants and refugees welcomed a bipartisan framework unveiled by eight senators being called the “gang of eight” for their public effort to get the ball rolling on legislation to rewrite…
Church security after Sandy Hook
By Jeff Brumley The Sandy Hook school massacre terrified parents nationwide and sparked a debate on gun control and school security. But it’s also led to some soul searching on church staffs worried about how to best protect worshipers and…