Baptism and local church membership have been inextricably linked historically in the minds of many Baptists. But that view is shifting as a decline in denominational loyalty and the easy movement of American Christians among churches of all stripes have…
ANALYSIS: Should Baptist churches adopt open membership? No.
Baptists have not always agreed among themselves on doctrinal or ethical issues, but they have had some common beliefs that they have defended and on which they have been united. When one of these is challenged or rejected, the Baptist…
ANALYSIS: Should Baptist churches adopt open membership? Yes.
The Baptist movement began 400 years ago with the self-baptism of John Smyth, but the roots of immersion lie beyond that first gathered community whose mode was affusion, or pouring. Edward Barber was probably the first to embrace believer’s baptism…
ANALYSIS: Baptism — essential sacrament or symbolic ordinance?
One of the distinguishing marks of the people of God called Baptists, across our 400 years of witness, has been our strong affirmation of believer’s baptism, which is rooted in our high view of Christ’s authority in Scripture. When Jesus…
Let ’em ring: Federal court says church bells are legal religious expression
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A federal court on April 19 ruled an ordinance in Phoenix, Ariz., trying to limit the sound of church bells is an unconstitutional impingement on religious expression. In 2007, one day after Christ the King Cathedral moved…
FAITH DIGEST
British army “targeting” mosques? Muslims in England are demanding the British army apologize for using apparent replicas of mosques for target practice on a firing range. The Bradford Council for Mosques, whose area is populated heavily by Muslims, claims the…
Hundreds gather to remember Cecil Sherman in Richmond memorial service
RICHMOND, Va. — Friends and family members of Cecil Edwin Sherman filled the spacious sanctuary of River Road Church, Baptist, in Richmond, Va., April 20 to celebrate his life in the first of two scheduled memorial services. Michael Clingenpeel, pastor…
Two memorial services for Cecil Sherman to be webcast live this week
ATLANTA (ABP) — Two memorial services for Cecil Sherman, founding coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, who died April 17 after suffering a massive heart attack, will be webcast live this week. Services scheduled Tuesday, April 20, at River Road…
Moderate Baptist leader Cecil Sherman dies from complications of heart attack
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Cecil Sherman, 82, one of the most visible moderate leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention controversy of the 1980s and first coordinator of the breakaway Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, died April 17 from complications of a heart…
Survey finds Africa is most religious part of world
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Researchers say they’ve found the most religious place on Earth — between the southern border of the Sahara Desert and the tip of South Africa. Religion is “very important” to more than three-quarters of the population in…
OPINION: Apollo 13 and the Gospel
April 17 marks the 40th anniversary of the splashdown of Apollo 13. It was a happy ending to a nearly disastrous and tragic mission. It was also a tribute to the bravery of the three-member crew and the ingenuity and…
National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, judge rules
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A federal district judge in Wisconsin has ruled that the 1988 law creating the annual observance of the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. “It goes beyond mere ‘acknowledgement’ of religion because its sole purpose is to…