Operation Inasmuch, the one-day missions blitz organization that started at a Baptist church in Fayetteville, N.C., became a national ministry Jan. 30. David Crocker, who was pastor of Fayetteville's Snyder Memorial Baptist Church when Operation Inasmuch was born, is the…
Embrace postmodern change, says Sweet
Deal with it, get over it or get help. That's Leonard Sweet's mantra when it comes to understanding Christianity's fluid role in the postmodern world. The Christian church is in the midst of a “perfect storm,” Sweet told a crowd…
Baptist history conference makes its own history
The “mother church” of Southern Baptists—from whose pulpit legendary pastor Richard Furman once defended the institution of slavery—will host Baptists of multiple races, denominations and regional identities for a historic conference in August. The First Baptist Church of Charleston, S.C.,…
Did the IMB ‘investigate’ charges? Wade Burleson, IMB say no
Wade Burleson says there was no “investigation” by the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board into his allegations of trustee improprieties—despite the insistence of some trustees that there was. “What idiot told Mr. Burleson there was no trustee investigative committee?”…
Carson-Newman president, resigns amid turmoil
James Netherton, the embattled president of Carson-Newman College, is resigning from the Baptist-affiliated school to become executive vice president of Mercer University. Netherton, president of Carson-Newman since 2000, has been under pressure in recent months. He was the target of…
Christians, others use film Amazing Grace to spotlight modern-day slave trade
Nearly 200 years after William Wilberforce brought an end to England's slave trade, a wide audience will have a chance to see his story told on film. But the producers of Amazing Grace—and a wide coalition of Christian and other…
William Wilbeforce’s life is a model for modern Christians, says historian
Though he lived in England two centuries ago, the life and work of William Wilberforce remain important examples for modern-day evangelicals, according to the lead historical consultant for a feature film chronicling the famous abolitionist's life. Kevin Belmonte, a leading…
Former pastor Mike Huckabee aims at White House
The latest long-shot presidential candidate is a Southern Baptist Baby Boomer from Hope, Ark., who served as governor of his home state. But this isn't Bill Clinton, and he isn't a Democrat. Instead, he's a Republican, an ex-pastor and former…
Accrediting agencies asked to probe seminary’s dismissal of female professor
A supporter of a professor who lost her job at a Southern Baptist seminary—allegedly due to gender discrimination—has filed complaints with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Association of Theological Schools asking them to investigate “a serious breach”…
IMB trustee investigation rejects allegations of board impropriety
The Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, following an internal investigation, has rejected a trustee's accusations of impropriety and unauthorized tightening of doctrinal parameters. The board reportedly approved a report, based on its own executive committee's investigations into the charges,…
National WMU to suffer from more funding cuts
The Woman's Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention, which has seen its annual revenues drop precipitously in the last eight years, now stands to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars more from one of the two mission boards it…
Baptist churches more vulnerable to clergy sex abuse, say experts
A recent sex scandal involving two North Texas pastors and the women who accused them of molestation is unusual because the victims—by now beyond the statute of limitations for sex-abuse cases—urged authorities and media to publish their names in conjunction…