I attended the annual meeting of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society on the evening of May 22. Nine days later Julian Pentecost died. The timing was somewhat providential for me because I was thinking about Dr. Pentecost on that May…
OUT LOUD
“Of course, Benny has always said that the ministry came first. Then he started to say that he was married to the ministry.” Suzanne Hinn The ex-wife of evangelist Benny Hinn was interviewed on the Christian Broadcast Network’s The 700…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Blessed are the church leaders who make peace in their own congregations, part 1
Most would agree that conflict in human relationships is inevitable, even normal. Managed, conflict can cause us to identify needed changes and creates energy enough to make them. It can be a catalyst causing growth. It can cause us to…
TRENDING: Movement thinking, part 1: Adaptive methods
A powerful and welcome trend today is the conversation about starting movements. Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, Seth Godin’s Tribes and Ori Brafman’s The Starfish and the Spider have electrified and mainstreamed this topic. A movement is an informal grouping…
Pastor blasts biblical inerrancy
By Bob Allen Biblical inerrancy – the idea that the Bible’s authors were safeguarded against error when inspired by God to write facts about science and history in Scripture – is a misleading and harmful concept that has been used…
New book tells story of loss, redemption
By Bob Allen A new book self-described as “one part worst-case scenario and three parts God’s creative redemption,” about a church-bus tragedy that turned into a grassroots movement for doing good, cracked the Amazon Top 50 Christian Living Hot New…
Group is changing the face of homelessness in Baltimore
BALTIMORE—It’s a humid Monday night in downtown Baltimore, but the heat isn’t slowing Greg Gilchrist down. He keeps a towel handy next to his Bible as he preaches to a crowded room at Code Blue Shelter. Amens ring across the…
For Bluefield student, providing clean water is mandate
BLUEFIELD, Va.—“Every time you take a sip of clean water, someone dies of unclean water somewhere in the world.” That’s the statement that stirs the heart of Bluefield College student J.D. Taylor. So much so, he’s doing something about it…
Pastor grateful after Colo. fire spares home
By Jeff Brumley A Colorado Baptist pastor feels stunned and grateful in the midst of raging wildfires that have spared his home and church but killed two neighbors and destroyed hundreds of houses. “Numbness and shock – PTSD is what…
Baptist leaders meet in Chile
By Bob Allen About 300 Baptist leaders from around the world are in Santiago, Chile, this week for an annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance. In an opening celebration service July 2, BWA President John Upton recalled worldwide Baptist…
OPINION: Encountering community
As a congregation, we talk much about the importance of being part of a living, breathing community, existing in relationship with others. We see this evidence weekly, as we share meals and stories, prayers and tears, laughter and celebrations. We…
Prof decries marginalization of Calvinists
By Bob Allen A seminary professor denounced the marginalization of Calvinists in the Southern Baptist Convention at a breakfast gathering during the recent SBC annual meeting in New Orleans. Speaking at the 2012 Founder’s Breakfast, Tom Nettles, professor of historical…