This is the ninth in a BNG series of articles on Christianity and democracy that will lead toward the July 4 celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The series has been curated by Carol McEntyre, senior minister at First Baptist Church of...
A century of preaching can teach preachers a lot. The two of us have been best friends since college days. When our experience is taken together, we have preached for more than a hundred years now. We became pastors as…
“If any religious leaders say tomorrow that the hurricane is God’s punishment against some group, they’re idiots. God’s ways are not our ways.” James Martin The writer for America magazine was tweeting about Hurricane Sandy. (RNS) “Protecting the freedom of…
(ABP) — The other day I was remembering my first involvement in a church as an independent adult. My first grown-up church was a big, suburban congregation with a fancy building and lots of fun programming for college students. I…
Rightly understood, the relationship between pastors and deacons is one of partnership in the mission of being (and building) the church. The following are statements I have heard deacons make through the years. 1. I need to be clear about…
(ABP) — A U.S. scholar representing the Baptist World Alliance at a recent Vatican gathering of Catholic bishops described his presence as “a moment of historic significance.” “Baptists and Catholics differ on important ecclesial and theological issues but we are…
RICHMOND — The newly-formed Virginia Network of Interim Ministers elected officers and regional representatives during an organizational meeting Oct. 18 in Richmond. The network, which will serve as a professional organization for both traditional interim ministers and intentional interim ministers,…
(ABP) — A deadly, demoralizing bombing in Beirut on Oct. 19 prompted a Lebanese Baptist leader to issue a worldwide call for prayer — and prayer alone. The blast killed eight people, including a high-ranking government official, and wounded an…
By Miguel De La Torre Even before all the votes are fully counted, there is one undeniable conclusion about the 2012 election: We live in a divided nation. If we nuance that division, however, we discover that who is divided…
By Bob Allen Police in Azerbaijan have raided the home of a Baptist pastor who served 10 months in prison before winning a pardon following appeals on his behalf from Baptist leaders worldwide, including former President Jimmy Carter. The Oslo-based…
(ABP) — All Christians confess that Jesus is Lord, but he’s a poor choice for a computer password, according to an annual listing of passwords on the Internet most prone to hacking. “Jesus” for the first time made the list…
(RNS) — When Staff Sgt. Brandon Hill came home from his third tour in Iraq last year, he expected his wife and young daughters at the welcoming ceremony. What he didn't expect were the pastors, secretaries and members of their…
Baptist disaster response teams in New Jersey and New York resumed operations Nov. 9 after a nor’easter’s wind, rain and snow forced a temporary suspension of activities in the region still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. Trucks loaded with food for…
