By Bob Allen Three days after defending comments accusing black leaders of politicizing the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, the head of Southern Baptists’ Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission apologized April 16 to anyone who was offended by his…
More churches producing roll-your-own study materials
By Jim White Not too long ago, hardly any church would have dared to plan, write and publish its own Bible study materials. Before computers, desktop publishing and easy access to the Internet, the task would have been so daunting,…
When does it make sense for a church to produce its own material?
By Jim White Producing study materials for a church is a huge undertaking that diverts staff time, energy and attention away from other assignments. Making that decision, then, should be done carefully. When does it make sense for a church…
Organizations step into role of religious curriculum publishers
By Robert Dilday Local congregations aren’t alone in discovering that developing Christian education resources can meet a critical need. Other organizations have expanded their missions to include creating Bible study materials. Both the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the…
Pastor says New Calvinism giving short shrift to missions
By Bob Allen For all its successes, Neo-Calvinism needs to do a better job of spurring zeal for global missions and personal holiness, a speaker said April 11 at the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, Ky. Kevin DeYoung,…
When does it make sense for a church to produce its own material?
Producing study materials for a church is a huge undertaking that diverts staff time, energy and attention away from other assignments. Making that decision, then, should be done carefully. When does it make sense for a church to produce its…
TRENDING: Four emerging ministry and staffing patterns
1. “Oikos” grows. As Millenniels pass Boomers as the largest generation, LifeWay Research indicates that top priority among the Millennial generation is family. With the disintegration of nuclear family in North American life through proliferating divorce, extended family or…
FIRST PERSON: The ups and downs of curriculum writing
Writing the Nurturing Faith curriculum for Baptists Today has proven to be both a joy and a challenge. Joy comes in the regular discipline of digging into the text, wrestling with the original language (which usually wins), and trying to…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Transitions—Turning into life’s skids
Can you picture it? You’re driving on a slippery road. Your car suddently careens out of control. Things happen in the blink of an eye—most of them bad. Your brain switches automatically into survival mode. You panic and react instinctively….
Organizations step into role of curriculum publishers
Local congregations aren’t alone in discovering that developing Christian education resources can meet a critical need. Other organizations have expanded their missions to include creating Bible study materials. Both the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Nashville, Tenn.-based Baptist…
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EDITORIAL: What the church can learn from the Trayvon Martin tragedy
If Trayvon Martin had been my son or nephew, I would have been as angry as his family is. Martin is reported to have had his problems, but to wind up dead at the hands of a neighborhood watch volunteer?…