More an art than a science, matching a minister's skills with a church's needs has tested the limits of generations of pastoral search committees. And for Baptists — fiercely committed to local church autonomy and resistant to outside influences —…
New Baptist Covenant II to unite Baptists personally and virtually
ATLANTA (ABP) — In about two months, Baptists of many stripes will gather simultaneously in dozens of cities across the country for a unique virtual meeting, during which they will not only worship and learn but spread out to work…
God and the free market
WACO, Texas — Milton Friedman, meet Rick Warren. Americans who strongly believe God has a plan for their lives are most likely to believe God guides the United States through a free market — and they want to see the…
Baptist leader says executing murderers is pro-life
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) – A Southern Baptist seminary president says that according to the Bible, capital punishment is pro-life. “The death penalty is not about retribution,” Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in a podcast Sept. 22….
Presidential candidate links Israel policy to religious faith
NEW YORK (ABP) – An already contentious debate about the role of faith in presidential politics took a new twist Sept. 20 when Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a New York City press conference he believes America’s continued support for…
Southern Baptists consider sale of conference center
GLORIETA, N.M. (ABP) – The Southern Baptist Convention is scaling back operations at Glorieta Conference Center and considering sale of the 2,100-acre campus near Santa Fe, N.M. Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources voted recently to cut back from year-round operations…
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship effort to address rural poverty in Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. (ABP) – A national initiative for community development may be expanding into Missouri in an effort to alleviate rural poverty. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship launched Together for Hope in 2001 as a long-term commitment to working with people…
Southern Baptists consider sale of New Mexico conference center
GLORIETA, N.M. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention is scaling back operations at Glorieta Conference Center and considering sale of the 2,100-acre campus near Santa Fe, N.M. Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources voted recently to cut back from year-round operations…
Professors denounce ‘Christian Zionism’
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (ABP) – Two Baptist ethicists released an open letter Sept. 19 opposing “Christian Zionism” and its effect on U.S. policy toward Israel. As Palestinian leaders prepared to make a unilateral declaration of statehood before the United Nations…
Southern Baptists consider name change
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) – After 166 years as the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s second-largest religious body could be getting a new name. SBC President Bryant Wright announced Sept. 19 the appointment of a committee to study whether it is…
Belief in active God & free market closely linked, survey reveals
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Americans who strongly believe God has a plan for their lives are most likely to believe God guides the United States through a free market — and they want to see the government get out of God’s…
Southern Baptist Convention considers name change
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — After 166 years as the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s second-largest religious body could be getting a new name. SBC President Bryant Wright announced Sept. 19 the appointment of a committee to study whether it is…