With the election of an outsider president who had strong support from reform-minded pastors, the Southern Baptist Convention may be changing in tone. But substantive changes are still a ways off, say denominational observers. While there were surprises, messengers to…
At the front door
Hazel Mallory died Saturday, June 24, from cancer. Her funeral was on Wednesday, June 28, at Hatcher Memorial Baptist Church in Richmond. For 31 years Hazel Mallory sat at the front door of Virginia Baptist life. As the administrative assistant…
EDITORIAL: Aunt Ida’s witnessing technique
Dear Jimmy, Since its been a spell since I've written, and since your Uncle Orley ain't around to distract me, I figured I'd drop you a line or two. Orley has gone with some of his farmer friends over to…
Jackson, Drake win vice president spots
(BP)Messengers elected Jimmy Jackson, pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala., as first vice president and Wiley Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., as second vice president in contested elections last week. In the…
ANOTHER VIEW: Called, trained and too young
My experience at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond was a blessed journey. Seminary expanded my theological perspective, gave me many tools that will aid me indefinitely and validated God's call for my life — a calling to serve God through…
Abstinence resolution calls for trustees to be teetotalers
Declaring “our total opposition to the … consuming of alcoholic beverages,” Southern Baptist Convention messengers adopted a strongly worded resolution on the issue June 14. Messengers adopted 15 resolutions presented by the SBC Resolutions Committee on issues ranging from genocide…
SBC sends issue back to trustees
The SBC's International Mission Board will get a chance to resolve its own trustee dispute, despite a plea for outside arbitration. Trustee Wade Burleson asked SBC messengers to authorize the convention's Executive Committee to create a special committee to study…
Condi Rice tells messengers U.S.’s job is to spread freedom
In an address that was received like a campaign stump speech, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, exhorting her listeners to support the United States in spreading freedom around the globe. After a…
Rogers’ widow warns of narrowing parameters in SBC
(ABP) — Adrian Rogers' widow captured unexpected attention at the Southern Baptist Pastors Conference by asserting her husband would not approve of narrowing parameters of fellowship in the Southern Baptist Convention. Joyce Rogers, whose deceased husband was a former Southern…