Baptist News Global

Historians debate reasons for rise of Landmarkism in 19th century

All Landmark Baptists believe in church succession, at least to some degree, but not every Baptist holding that position is — or was — a Landmarker, according to Alan Lefever, director of the Texas Baptist Historical Collection. Neither J.M. Carroll,…

Baptists celebrate past with an eye to the future

In 400 years, the Baptist movement has grown to 200,000 churches with more than 50 million members in countries around the world. But even though Baptists globally continue to show statistical growth, the largest Baptist group in the United States…

How to celebrate in the future?

As Baptists plan 400th anniversary celebrations, Bob Dale, author and recently retired associate executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, suggests they think ahead to the kind of celebration they want to have a generation from now. Casting…

Baptist influence on history of U.S., world a mixed bag, historians say

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Baptists' signal contribution to American and world history and political thought, historians almost unanimously agree, is their uncompromising emphasis on religious liberty. But, they hasten to add, the doctrine of soul freedom that grounds Baptists' belief in…

Wide variety of Baptists found in 111th Congress

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The various Baptist churches represented in the incoming 111th Congress are emblematic of America's broad array of Baptists. There are 66 self-identified Baptists in the new Congress, according to a study by the Pew Forum on Religion…

An uncertain past for one of the world’s major denominations

Baptists have no founder. They have no certain month, day and year of beginning. It is risky at best to find the earliest tender roots of a people who have become one of the world's major religious denominations. Across the…

Patterns in denominationalism

With approximately 35 million members and over fifty distinct groups in the United States, Baptists make up the largest and the most diverse American Protestant tradition. This diversity may partly be attributed to theological differences, dissimilarities in worship styles, and…

Virginia pastor’s research sheds new light on old Baptist controversy

RICHMOND — The struggle between moderates and fundamentalists for control of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1979 into the early 1990s is often called “the controversy.” Yet it was really just the latest controversy. In 1899, William Heth Whitsitt (1841-1911),…

Bluefield College matching scholarship program brings more aid to students

BLUEFIELD — Bluefield College has introduced a new scholarship program that will benefit students who come recommended by their local church. As part of a new Church Matching Scholarship Program, Bluefield College will award up to $1,000 to a student,…

Dispirited Christians must prepare to stand in the gap, historians urge

The country I know

New book brings Baptist heroes to life for children and youth

The bathroom battles come to the U.S. Capitol