You could say that 2011 was the “year from hell.” I didn’t see it coming. In January, a friend from Australia sent a manuscript of a book on hell and asked if it would fly in the United States. Steve…
EDITORIAL: Aunt Ida discovers doxology
Dear Jimmy, At last the house is decorated for Christmas and as I have a few minutes, I’ll jot you a line or two to let you know that your Uncle Orley and I are still in the land of…
VITAL SIGNS: Can we have a healthier search process?
An increasing part of my life is spent advising and coaching pastor search committees. A healthy search process requires great patience, spiritual maturity and hard work. Done well, it can lead to a season of hope and health for a…
WINN RECOMMENDS
The Pietistic Impulse in Christianity, editors Winn, Gehrz, Carlson and Host (Pickwick) In many circles, particularly academic ones, the word pietism is used as an insult. Though self-proclaimed pietists have at times encouraged unfortunate postures (individualism, privatism, bad ecclesiology), the…
Ecumenical dialogue clarifies Baptist beliefs, says prof
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Ecumenical dialogue between Baptists and other Christian traditions clarifies Baptist distinctives rather than dilutes them, says a Gardner-Webb University professor who participated in recent preliminary conversations between Baptists and Orthodox Christians. Steven Harmon “The purpose of…
Church kicked out of association appeals for funds
OWENSBORO, Ky. (ABP) – A Baptist church kicked out of its association for allowing a gay-rights group to meet in its building has launched a national fundraising campaign to prevent having to close its doors. Bob Coons, pastor of Journey…
CBF gets grant to assist ministers in first church
ATLANTA (ABP) – The Lilly Endowment has awarded the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship a $750,000 grant to create a program for ministers serving in their first church after seminary. The CBF Fellows Program will offer cohort learning, peer learning, coaching, mentoring…
Coalition requests policy on faith-based hiring
WASHINGTON (ABP) – Dozens of religious, civil rights, labor and women’s organizations, wrote the White House Dec. 7 asking how the Obama administration decides whether religious organizations may discriminate when hiring for government-funded positions. A coalition including the Baptist Joint…
‘Occupy’ movement comes to church
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (ABP) – As the Occupy protest movement spreads into cities across the United States and around the world, one North Carolina Baptist congregation says it is time to occupy the church. A November Occupy Church "protest" helped energize…
Filipino church broadens focus, changes name
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Roughly translated, the Filipino proverb “Ang palay ay parisan, habang nagkakalaman ay lalong nagpugpugay,” means: “Imitate the rice stalk; the more grains it bears, the lower it bows.” The Filipino-American Christian Church in Stafford County, Va., has…
Ecumenical dialogue clarifies distinctives, says prof
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Ecumenical dialogue between Baptists and other Christian traditions clarifies Baptist distinctives rather than dilutes them, says a Gardner-Webb University professor who participated in recent preliminary conversations between Baptists and Orthodox Christians. “The purpose of ecumenical discussions…
Realignments at board add value, says executive
RICHMOND, Va. — Proposed changes in the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board are prompted in part by reduced funding but will have the effect of making the organization more strategic, the board’s executive director said Dec. 9. John…