Baptist News Global

Open mission positions may be ‘God moment,’ says SBC task force chair

ROGERS, Ark. — Impending vacancies in the top leadership positions of the Southern Baptist Convention’s two mission boards offer unique opportunities for the denomination as it considers new ways to engage its mission enterprise, says the chair of a task…

IMB President Jerry Rankin announces retirement plans

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — Jerry Rankin, 67, has announced that he will retire next year after 17 years as president of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Rankin announced his plans to step down — at the…

Only 1 in 3 churches spiritually ‘vital,’ study says

HARTFORD, Conn. (ABP) — A congregation's health depends less on theology than methodology, according to a first look at an upcoming national study by Hartford Seminary's Institute for Religion Research. Faith Communities Today 2008, due out Oct. 15, paints an…

On immigration, do Baptists believe the Bible?

By Libby Grammer Garrett Undocumented immigration cannot be described as either a problem or a possibility — it simply is a reality, and one that we are not dealing with very well. As someone who works with immigration issues every…

Jerry Rankin to retire as IMB president in July 2010

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jerry Rankin announced Sept. 16 he will retire as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board this summer, ending a 17-year tenure as head of the mission agency. Rankin will be 68 when he retires…

Uzbek Baptist head, two other leaders face 3-year prison term

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (ABP) — The head of Uzbekistan's Baptist union and two colleagues face up to three years in prison on charges of tax evasion and teaching children about religion without permission from their parents — a crime in the…

Being thoroughly — and really — pro-life

By Miguel De La Torre Most of those who self-identify as “pro-life” or say they are believers in the “sanctity of life” are, in reality, neither. To truly be pro-life is to believe that all life, created by God, has…

UPDATED: Convicted felon loses bid to regain National Baptist presidency

(Editor's note: This story expands and updates a story originally published Sept. 9.) WASHINGTON (ABP) — Despite a highly publicized effort to regain the presidency of the nation's largest African-American Baptist denomination, disgraced pastor Henry Lyons overwhelmingly lost his election…

Fact and fiction on the abortion-reduction bill

By David Gushee, Joel Hunter, and Ronald Snider We are pro-life evangelical Christians with long records of ministry and scholarship in which we have stood up for the unborn and for a society in which every child is welcomed into…

Cecil Sherman honored as ABP’s Religious Freedom Award recipient

RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Cecil Sherman, a pivotal figure in moderate Baptist life for the past half century, was recognized Sept. 10 for his fierce commitment to religious freedom as Associated Baptist Press presented him one of its top awards…

Scandal-plagued pastor loses bid to regain National Baptist presidency

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Despite a highly publicized effort to regain the presidency of the nation's largest African-American Baptist denomination, disgraced pastor Henry Lyons overwhelmingly lost his election bid Sept. 10. Henry Lyons, a former president of the National Baptist Convention…

Cecil Sherman receives ABP’s religious freedom award

RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Cecil Sherman, a pivotal figure in moderate Baptist life for the past half century, was formally recognized Sept. 10 for his fierce commitment to religious freedom as Associated Baptist Press presented him one of its top…

Supreme Court slides into partisanship

Before the fireworks, be careful what you drink

The contemptible case of Clarence Thomas

The permanent paradoxes of Christian thinking about war