By Bob Allen American Baptist leaders wrote President Obama Nov. 12, voicing human-rights concerns in advance of his scheduled Nov. 19 visit to Myanmar. The Board of General Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA voted Nov. 10 to authorize ABC/USA…
Ministry: Abuse suit harms confidentiality
By Bob Allen A network of Reformed church plants accused in a class-action lawsuit of covering up sexual abuse of children appealed to a First Amendment defense in a statement Nov. 14. Sovereign Grace Ministries, which recently relocated from Maryland…
British Baptists downsizing
By Bob Allen The Baptist Union of Great Britain will downsize its national staff from 46 to 32 employees and change the way it works with associations and Baptist colleges to better serve local churches in the 21st century. Changes approved…
Faith leaders pledge to work with Obama
By Bob Allen A diverse group of faith leaders wrote President Obama Nov. 13 to congratulate him on his re-election and pledge to work with the administration during the next four years to help the nation “live up to the…
EDITORIAL: What’s happening with the Herald?
If cordiality is the standard by which Baptist General Association of Virginia annual meetings are measured, the meeting just ended was one of the best. Newly-elected BGAV president Carl Johnson thanked the messengers at the close of the final session…
OPINION: Bible interpretation, personal experience and homosexuality
A man I once knew, now deceased, liked to express his opinion on various topics, such as divorce. He was proud that he still maintained that divorce is wrong, even though his own son was divorced. He gave examples of…
OPINION: The call of the question
The simple phrase “I move to call the question” was all it took to stop the discussion and have Ginter Park Baptist Church disassociated from the Baptist General Association of Virginia. Based on what I observed at the annual meeting,…
OPINION: The majority has spoken
After attending/voting at the Baptist General Association of Virginia 2012 annual meeting in Roanoke on the recent issue regarding Ginter Park Baptist Church with their ordination of an openly homosexual man, I feel that many will weigh in with a…
OPINION: On this I take my stand
“On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” These are the words of Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms on April 18, 1521. On this date, Luther refused to recant his reformation…
VITAL SIGNS: The hardest issues we face
One of the most helpful insights I have gained in recent years for understanding the leadership culture of congregational life is the concept of managing polarities. Polarities are ongoing, chronic issues that are unavoidable and unsolvable. They are the hardest…
Baptist disaster response in hurricane-stricken Northeast likely to continue into December
Baptist disaster response teams from the Mid-Atlantic have prepared hundreds of thousands of meals in the Northeast, and relief organizers said they expect recovery operations to continue into December in the region hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. An expression of…
Christians support UN status for PLO
By Bob Allen One hundred Christian leaders in the Holy Land issued an open letter Nov. 14 asking western governments to support the Palestinian people in their struggle for independence and freedom. The letter from the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical…