DIDCOT, England (ABP) — The Baptist Times, an award-winning newspaper published weekly for British Baptists for 156 years, will cease both print and digital editions at the end of the year. Bill Johnston, chairman of the Baptist Times board of…
NC Briefs
CBFNC distributing immigration documentary. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina is distributing free to all its affiliated churches DVDs of a documentary film on immigration issues. “Gospel Without Borders,” produced last August by the Baptist Center for Ethics, explores…
Since his death, Steve Jobs’ private spirituality now an open book
WASHINGTON (RNS) — He considered moving to a Zen monastery before shifting his sights to Silicon Valley, where he became a brash businessman. He preached about the dangers of desire but urged consumers to covet every new iPhone incarnation. “He…
Pastor writes Bible study for Harry Potter movies
HUSTONVILLE, Ky. (ABP) – With the Nov. 11 release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the eighth and final film in the long-running series based on books by J.K. Rowling on DVD and Blu-ray, a Southern Baptist…
National Baptists, NAACP co-sponsor empowerment conference
ST. LOUIS (ABP) – The NAACP and National Baptist Convention are gathering together Nov. 10-12 in St. Louis to co-sponsor a conference on “Faith, Family and Community Empowerment.” Speakers include NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous, who was scheduled to give…
Baptists, Orthodox consider formal dialogue
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) – Teams from the Baptist World Alliance and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople held exploratory talks Oct. 30-Nov. 2 that could lead to formal dialogue between Baptist and Orthodox Christians internationally. BWA General Secretary Neville Callam,…
Baptist cooperation developed slowly but took root deeply
DALLAS (ABP) — Mention "cooperation" and many Baptists think of the Cooperative Program, the Southern Baptist Convention's unified giving plan. But Baptists may have forgotten that instead of money, cooperation historically grew around accomplishing kingdom work together — primarily missions…
Crossing boundaries in ministry poses opportunities, challenges
ATLANTA (ABP) — "Are we missing the big picture?" That's the question some Christian leaders are asking as America's centuries-old denominational patterns unravel and while denominational distinctions seem as entrenched — and unbridgeable — as ever. In a post-denominational society,…
Does Calvinism extol God’s glory or make him a moral monster?
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Roger Olson, professor at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary, agreed to write a new book refuting Calvinism because he believes somebody needs to rescue God's reputation. "I am against any Calvinism — and any theology —…
Baptist Peace Fellowship to re-issue sexuality resource
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (ABP) – The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America has announced plans to publish an expanded and updated edition of Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth: A Resource for Congregations in Dialogue on Sexual Orientation, a 250-page study…
ASK THE ARCHITECT: Worship space theology
Last month I provided lots of meaty facts and figures to support the design of worship space. In many ways, however, I feel that I put the cart before the horse — for the place to begin in this discussion…
HERITAGE: The new humanity
America is obsessed with race. Slavery has been gone for 150 years. Segregation crumbled in the 1960s and ’70s. Relationships have improved between the races yet race remains a defining issue in so many phases of American life. Virginia Baptists…