TUPELO, Miss. (ABP) — A prominent conservative social activist has accused the Southern Baptist Convention of pandering to gays and illegal immigrants. Bryan Fischer, radio talk show host and spokesman for the American Family Association, commented in a blog that…
VITAL SIGNS: What will we do with failure?
Failure. Just saying the word in the same sentence as our name makes us nervous. Far too often, failure and ministry go together. Frequently, failure is the last word for ministers and churches. Many ministers’ inner life is marked by…
HeraldBeat
TRANSITIONS ON THE MOVE Kevin Wirt, to Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Troutville, Va., as pastor. Chuck Marshburn, to Tidewater Korean Church, Virginia Beach, Va., as English-speaking pastor. Robert Carpenter, resigning as pastor of Talbot Park Baptist Church, Norfolk. Don Harvey,…
EDITORIAL: Positive signs in SBC leadership?
If you didn’t realize the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting was being held last week in Phoenix, you were not alone. For the first time since 1944, fewer than 5,000 messengers registered for the two-day conference. Only 4,780 had registered…
HERITAGE: Fulfilling the covenant
Black Creek Baptist Church in rural Southampton County, Va., celebrated its 225th anniversary last month. The home folks put thought and effort into the anniversary. They invited former pastors and members. They created an instant museum out of one of…
TRENDING: Rhythym of life
Peter Drucker famously remarked that the three most difficult jobs in the United States were university president, hospital administrator and pastor of a local church. Yet no one seems to be able to explain what a minister does. There are…
SBC resolution targets Sharia law
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention’s top public-policy expert said June 18 that any imposition of Sharia law by courts in the United States would violate the Constitution. The president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission…
International religious freedom envoy condemns religious intolerance
GENEVA (RNS) — The Obama administration's new envoy for international religious freedom told a U.N. commission that government, political, religious and business leaders must stand ready to condemn hateful ideology. Borrowing from recent headlines, Ambassador-at-Large Suzan Johnson ook cited a…
Southern Baptist Convention looks to minorities to jumpstart growth
PHOENIX (RNS) — The Southern Baptist Convention adopted a plan to try to boost minorities in their top leadership posts as the convention faces continuing reports of stagnant baptism rates and declining membership. Messengers to the annual meeting backed the…
Southern Seminary’s Mohler says Baptists must repent of homophobia
PHOENIX (ABP) — The president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said June 15 that Southern Baptists need to repent of a “form of homophobia” that keeps gays and lesbians out of their churches. Albert Mohler responded during his report to…
OPINION: Keeping a ‘Keepers’ file
What do you do to restore order, hope or self-esteem when life gives you a kick in the stomach or on those days when you wonder if you’re really making a difference in the world? I know I should say…
Tim Tebow memoir details blessed life rooted in faith
DENVER (RNS) — Tim Tebow is a 23-year-old second-year, second-string quarterback on a so-so NFL team. So, who’s going to buy his memoirs? What’s to remember? • How his missionary dad, Bob, prayed for a son and promised God to…