(ABP) — If there were an 11th commandment, for Millennials it might be “thou shalt ban pious slogans from thy midst.” In fact, faith-based lingo — like “everything happens for a reason” and “God is in control” — is coming…
Rigid worship agendas can become idolatry, says York
(ABP) — Agendas, even holy agendas, are not worthy of worship, Terry York is convinced. And when something else — anything else — takes the place of God as the focus of the church’s worship, it violates God’s commandment against…
Mexican churches jam cell phones during worship
(ABP) — They sound off during formal dinners, in restaurants, at the movies and even in churches. They’ve become the bane of every public speaker. The dreaded cell phones. As technology has given us the ability to reach out and…
Proposal would nix N.C.’s giving options
(ABP) — A North Carolina Baptist leader will propose scrapping the optional funding plans that are part of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s budget, which would eliminate funding of causes popular among moderate Baptists in the state. Ted…
BJC receives $100,000 for lecture series
(ABP) — A Baptist historian and his wife have given the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty a large gift to establish a lectureship on church-state issues. The Washington-based BJC announced the $100,000 gift from Walter and Kay Shurden of…
Gary Baldridge to leave CBF missions post
(ABP) — Gary Baldridge, who with his wife has led the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s global missions effort for five years, will leave the CBF at the end of the year to return to a career in writing. Daniel Vestal, CBF…
Baptist to lead justice ministry for farmworkers
Lindsay Comstock (ABP) — Lindsay Comstock, an ordained Baptist minister, graduate of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and former human-trafficking specialist for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, is new executive director of the National Farm Worker Ministry, a faith-based organization advocating…
Baptist ethicist signs sex abuse petition
(ABP) — Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., added his signature to “A Public Statement Concerning Sexual Abuse in the Church of Jesus Christ” posted July 17 by Godly Response to Abuse in the…
Baptist Joint Committee names recent graduate as education, outreach specialist
(ABP) — Recent McAfee School of Theology graduate Charles Watson Jr. has been named education and outreach specialist for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. A native of Millen, Ga., Watson previously worked as children’s director at Buckhead Baptist…
N.C. music minister wins worldwide song contest
The minister of worship at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C., is London-bound after winning a worldwide worship music contest. Giles Blankenship On Aug. 6 Integrity Music Europe named Giles Blankenship’s You Are There winner of its 2013 “Search…
N.C. educator to be president of Kentucky’s Georgetown College
(ABP) — Longtime North Carolina educator M. Dwaine Greene has been named president of Georgetown (Ky.) College. Greene, 56, has been academic vice president and provost since 2001 at Campbell University. He succeeds former president Bill Crouch, who retired June…
NABF retools disaster response
By Jeff Brumley Members of the North American Baptist Fellowship’s Disaster Response Network, meeting in Texas this week, decided on a leadership structure they hope will provide greater continuity and flexibility to the group’s operations. The group also agreed its…