ATLANTA—The boundaries of covenant in regard to sexuality can be unclear for single adults, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender individuals and senior adults, speakers told a [Baptist] Conference on Sexuality and Covenant. Many single adults are “making up the rules as they go along”…
Covenant is the best model for Christians grappling changing sexual morals, says David Gushee
DECATUR, Ga. (ABP)—The co-convener of a conference on sexuality and covenant said April 20 that long-term committed relationships are the best model for Christians struggling to make sense of changing morals about sex. “I believe that covenant is a, if…
Look beyond denominational subculture, Baylor professor urges sexuality conference
ATLANTA—Contemporary ethical debates about sexuality cannot be separated from questions about the nature of the church and whether Christians will be shaped more by covenant community or by culture, a lecturer in Baylor University’s Great Texts program told participants at…
Focus on Jesus, interpret the Bible with humility, North Carolina pastor tells sexuality conference
ATLANTA—Christians who want to hear God’s voice—particularly when it comes to difficult issues regarding sexuality—need to approach the Scriptures with humility and a desire to know the heart and mind of Christ, speakers told participants at a [Baptist] Conference on…
Christians need to formulate embodied theology to challenge traditional views, ethicist asserts
ATLANTA—Varied views on the human body in the Bible and church tradition shape modern Christians’ attitudes about sexuality, ethicist Melissa Browning told a [Baptist] Conference on Sexuality and Covenant. Christians need to formulate “an embodied theology … that is rooted…
New Bible translation, The Voice, focuses on dialogue
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS)—The name Jesus Christ doesn’t appear in The Voice, a new translation of the Bible. Nor do words such as angel or apostle. Instead, angel is rendered as “messenger” and apostle as “emissary.” Jesus Christ is “Jesus the…
Christians no longer have consensus on sexual ethics, says keynote speaker at sexuality conference
ATLANTA (ABP)—Christians no longer share a consensus that sex outside of marriage is always wrong and must find new ways to deal with that reality besides splitting into smaller and smaller groups over issues like homosexuality and contraception, a keynote…
‘Confusing’ BGAV budget needs clarifying, say leaders
RICHMOND, Va.—The Baptist General Association of Virginia’s budget has become an overly complex and unwieldy document that needs to be recast to more clearly articulate the BGAV’s mission priorities, three top BGAV leaders said April 17. In addition, allocations for…
Young ‘Millennials’ losing faith in record numbers
WASHINGTON (RNS)—A growing tide of young Americans is drifting away from the religions of their childhood—and most of them are ending up in no religion at all. One in four young adults choose “unaffiliated” when asked about their religion, according…
Youth ministry more than games, new network says
WAYNESBORO, Va. (ABP)—Dale Tadlock is a 45-year-old youth minister, a fact that he says baffles some folks. He's often been asked when he plans "to grow up" and "get a real ministry job?" But leaving youth ministry isn't even on…
FIRST PERSON: The ups and downs of curriculum writing
Writing the Nurturing Faith curriculum for Baptists Today has proven to be both a joy and a challenge. Joy comes in the regular discipline of digging into the text, wrestling with the original language (which usually wins), and trying to…
TRENDING: Four emerging ministry and staffing patterns
1. “Oikos” grows. As Millenniels pass Boomers as the largest generation, LifeWay Research indicates that top priority among the Millennial generation is family. With the disintegration of nuclear family in North American life through proliferating divorce, extended family or…