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,…
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?…
HERITAGE: Discerning the call
In 1904 George White McDaniel was a young promising preacher in Texas. A Baylor graduate, he had completed his theological studies at Southern Seminary in Louisville. Already he was in his third pastorate, serving a church in Dallas. His name…
OUT LOUD
“If every Muslim does that then within a year we will have supplied every person in Germany with a Quran translation and they will not label us as terrorists or radicals or anything else, when they read Allah’s book.” Ibrahim…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Getting started as a new deacon—Questions to ask
in a recent Leadership Link on deacon training, I asked readers to share some of their thoughts about basic training for deacons. Cliff Hudgins of the Pittsylvania Baptist Association believes only about 15 percent of newly-elected deacons receive training. As…
VITAL SIGNS: Creatively outrageous congregations
I recently heard an interview with George Lois, a leader in the advertising world in the 1950s who helped revolutionize the industry. His innovations transformed advertising and made several of his clients into household names. I found his comments about…