The transmogrification of the SBC: When Baptists no longer are Baptist

As the Southern Baptist Convention in its recent annual meeting has proved itself unreliably Baptist, it gives me pause to think about how quickly the transmogrification of this Baptist denomination into its ecclesiastical opposite has happened. Baptist folk often have...

Opinion H. Stephen Shoemaker

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A Time to Die: When churches die, can they live again?

RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — One sees them occasionally. Abandoned church buildings in rural areas stand in mute witness to changing times. In urban areas, big brick structures once crowded with eager worshipers now house restaurants, community centers or even nightclubs….

A Time to Die: How do — and should — churches die?

(ABP) — Churches close their doors every day. But is a church’s death inevitable? Who can give congregations permission to die? Should church members feel guilty for closing their facility’s doors? Peter Bush, author of In Dying We are Born:…

Seminary president apologizes for calling IMB head a liar

LYNCHBURG, Va. (ABP) — The president of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary has apologized for calling the head of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board a liar, saying he got carried away in an interview while criticizing a mission strategy…

SBC to vote on reduced budget

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is recommending $4.5 million in spending cuts next year in a Cooperative Program allocation budget to be voted on at the SBC's 2010 annual meeting June 15-16 in Orlando, Fla….

SBC leaders recommend 2nd reduced annual budget in a row

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is recommending $4.5 million in spending cuts next year in a Cooperative Program allocation budget to be voted on at the SBC's 2010 annual meeting June 15-16 in Orlando, Fla….

The dust of being human

By Amy Butler The snow has stopped falling here in Washington. At least for the moment. After almost two weeks, we are still digging out from a few weeks ago when whoever is in charge of weather patterns mistakenly thought…

EDITORIAL: Pewboy discovers theology

Pewboy was like a kid in a candy store. To be more precise, he was like an avid fisherman meandering through a boat show. He liked each one he saw better than the last. In his mind, he could see…

College student goes from wariness to embrace of elder-care ministry

HANNIBAL,Mo. (ABP) — For as long as she can remember, Katie Goldstein has been drawn to help people. Even in high school, the St. Louis native found ways to minister, especially among the homeless. Though the school’s human-services degree enticed…

On eve of summit, people of faith urge health-care reform

WASHINGTON (ABP) — On the eve of a bipartisan summit on health-care reform in the nation's capital, thousands of people of faith signed a letter urging the White House and Congress to "complete the task at hand on behalf of…

Group says U.S. foreign policy hampered by ignorance about religion

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The United States' foreign policy is hampered by a secular bias that causes policymakers to underestimate the role of religion in world affairs, a Midwestern think tank said in a 100-page report released Feb. 23. A task…

Okay, I’m getting older. So what?

By Bill Webb Every 10 years, I write a column reflecting on making it to an age that ends in zero. By the time the current issue of Word & Way is delivered to the home of each subscriber, I…

Former pastor convicted of murder seeks new trial

WACO, Texas (ABP) — A former Texas Baptist preacher convicted of murdering his wife says he deserves a new trial because his attorneys didn't adequately represent him. According to the Waco Tribune-Herald and other media reports, Matt Baker filed a…