It isn’t hard to find Baptists and other Protestants who believe Mormons are not Christians. But about half of all Americans and nearly every Mormon believe they are, the Pew Research Center has found. So who is right? Well, what…
What’s a Baptist? Seminary aims to help Baptists figure that out
Congregations across the country are struggling to remain, or even achieve, relevance in their communities. The struggle is just as difficult for seminaries seeking to serve those churches.
At heart of recent talks is key challenge: Can Baptists overlook infant baptism to join Methodists in ministry?
The aim of the ecumenical process was not to merge Baptists and Methodists into one large institution but to enable the two traditions to bring their different gifts to bear in a common way that benefits society.
Virtual reality baptisms and 3-D biblical experiences: the church of the future?
Imagine a church building where the sanctuary morphs into biblical locations, where worshipers confront the burning bush at the same time it’s preached about, and where converts can be baptized without being physically present. That’s not the church of the future. For one pastor, that’s the church of now.
Breaking out: crossing the lines of old denominational structures
When done from an unhealthy place, these new alliances have the ring of old retailers like Sears or Kmart who can no longer compete in the marketplace of ideas. But when done out of conviction about the needs for the unity of the church in responding to an increasingly indifferent post-Christendom society, they strike me as creative, inventive and hopeful.
American pastor in Canada doesn’t miss culture wars, church growth pressures
When U.S. pastor Justin Joplin accepted a call to a Baptist church in Canada, he found a Baptist identity free from anxiety over a decline from majority cultural status. That is liberating, he says.
Latino churches adapting to declining Hispanic identity, pastor says
It would be understandable for pastors of Hispanic churches in the United States to worry about new data showing that Latino identity is fading across generations. Wouldn’t that ultimately portend membership declines for ethnic congregations as fewer and fewer self-identify…
Those seeking a deeper faith should consult their (Christian) calendar, Baptist preacher says
Some Baptists and other Protestants doubt the relevance and biblical correctness of using the Christian calendar. But not Joe LaGuardia, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Vero Beach, Fla. LaGuardia said the Christian calendar, as expressed in worship and…
For Baptist chaplain, strains in police force are real and painful
Tommy Deal wept the day five police officers were gunned down in Dallas last summer. Distraught, the Baptist minister jumped into his car in search of police to comfort — even though he was in Dalton, Ga., not Dallas. Geography didn’t…