“College is where you learn that you have a particular past and that it doesn’t have to dictate your future.” These words, spoken by Bill Leonard during his baccalaureate address to graduates of Wake Forest University in the spring of…
Patriotism, spiritual ties may pull Christians in opposite directions
RICHMOND, Va. — When war erupted between Russia and Georgia in 2008, repercussions included more than the 2,000 deaths and tens of thousands of refugees attributed to the conflict. Casualities also included relations between the two countries’ Baptist fellowships, torn…
CBF of North Carolina presents $100k to Global Missions Offering
TAMPA, Fla. — After its assembly in March the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina challenged members to support the national CBF Global Mission Offering. As an incentive and in appreciation for church support of its own budget, CBFNC offered…
Mid-Atlantic CBF moves toward ‘collaborative mission’
TAMPA, Fla. — Representatives of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of the Mid-Atlantic concurred June 23 that the movement’s future in the multi-state region lies not what in the Fellowship can do for them, but what they can do together to…
SBCV executive Jeff Ginn resigns to accept Louisiana pastorate
GLEN ALLEN, Va. — Jeff Ginn has resigned as executive director of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia to become senior pastor of a Louisiana church, Baptist Press reported June 27. Ginn, who has been SBCV’s executive for three years,…
CBF of Virginia to focus on Latino concept of ‘familia’ during 2011-2012
TAMPA, Fla. — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia will spend the next year focusing on the Latino concept of familia as a way to broaden the scope of the CBF state affiliate’s ministries. “We want to talk about what…
Southern Baptist Convention wrestles with elaborate gay hoax
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Officials of the Southern Baptist Convention say they were the victims of a hoax in which a group claiming to be the denomination’s Executive Committee announced it had started to support gay marriage. A website of the…
Passport hires staff member to help children, youth discover God’s calling
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — An international student ministry that partners with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has hired a staff member to spearhead a new initiative to help theologically moderate churches discover God’s calling for both clergy and laity. Jennifer Herron,…
Florida pastor says tell stories of ‘why’ moderates left, not ‘who’
TAMPA, Fla. (ABP) – A Florida pastor said June 25 that the 20-year-old Cooperative Baptist Fellowship must recast its message for a rising generation. In order to interpret the movement’s history for younger Fellowship Baptists, Kyle Reese, pastor of Hendricks…
Blind musical artist Ken Medema articulates his art form
TAMPA, Fla. (ABP) — Ken Medema — singer, composer, pianist, artist and for four decades a softly prodding social conscience of the church — worked his art through the two days of the 2011 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly June…
Progressive Christians flock to Wild Goose festival in North Carolina
PITTSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — From Ontario, Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta and dozens of towns and cities between people pulled into the dusty pasture in rural central North Carolina to see if four days chasing the wild goose in community with others…
Dunn uplifts ‘soul freedom’ at Baptist Joint Committee annual event
TAMPA, Fla. (ABP) — Accepting this year’s J.M. Dawson Religious Liberty Award from the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty June 24, former BJC leader James Dunn identified “soul freedom” as the driving force behind the church-state watchdog organization now…