YANGON, Myanmar — Days after a cyclone's widespread devastation in Myanmar, the first two planeloads of United Nations relief supplies landed in the capital, Yangon, May 8, and Baptist relief organizations are waiting to follow. Observers fear the death toll…
FIRST PERSON: Mary Washington students spend spring break at work
Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:12 NIV). For 20 students and two adult…
Virginia Baptists weighing relief options
RICHMOND — Virginia Baptists are prepared to help victims of Myanmar's deadly cyclone but as long as the country's government blocks relief from non-governmental orgnanizations, Virginia Baptists' efforts will be delayed. Terry Raines, disaster relief coordinator for the Virginia Baptist…
Crowded SBC presidential field grows by two
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (ABP) — A crowded field of hopefuls for the Southern Baptist Convention presidency appears to be developing, with two high-profile candidates set to join three already-announced nominees. Retired SBC International Mission Board executive Avery Willis and Atlanta-area pastor…
Megachurch fails to oust members
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A May 4 vote to oust 71 dissident members of Nashville, Tenn., megachurch Two Rivers Baptist Church failed by four votes. The ouster attempt was proposed by embattled pastor Jerry Sutton and the deacon chair. Exactly…
Evangelicals lament a politicized faith
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Evangelical Christians should be defined by their theology — and not their politics — to avoid becoming “useful idiots” of a political party, a group of leaders said May 7 in a new statement. The document, “An…
Blogging Baptists
For some people, blogs are like a family reunion where people barely know each other. There's a lot of talking going on, but there's little agreement on much of anything. But for many of the increasing number of Baptist bloggers,…
Democratic churchgoers like Clinton
INDIANAPOLIS (BP) — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton May 6 continued to do well among churchgoers, according to exit polls, despite not having the kind of night her supporters felt she needed to shake up the race and catch frontrunner…
Blogs become Baptist battleground
WASHINGTON (ABP) — One classic joke about Baptists is that wherever two or three are gathered, there are four opinions among them. The same can be said of bloggers, and Baptists seem to have taken to blogs with particular gusto,…
British Baptists urged to fight global warming
BLACKPOOL, England (ABP) — British Baptists heard warnings against overconsumption and further degradation of the environment during their annual meeting May 2-4 in Blackpool, Lancashire. Theologian Elaine Storkey told members of the British Union of Great Britain to reject “false…
Looking for guidelines for Christian blogs? Start with the New Testament
The New Testament book of James compares the tongue to raging fire and a wild beast that cannot be tamed. And the author of that book never was “flamed” on a blog or in a chat room. Words have power,…
Iraq status divides panel on religious freedom
WASHINGTON (ABP) — An independent, non-partisan federal panel's failure to issue a recommendation to the State Department about Iraq is reportedly due to political division. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released its annual report and recommendations May…