In an earlier blog article this month, I mentioned having a theological discussion my sister. One of the direct questions she asked me was, “Do you believe in the Rapture?” If she had asked me that question 60 years ago…
Baptist pastor inspired by Jews, Muslims during Holy Land pilgrimage
By Jeff Brumley It wasn’t Jim Somerville’s first visit to the Holy Land — or even his third or fourth. But the 10-day journey in early February was the first he had made with Muslim and Jewish clergy from Virginia. The…
SBC leader blasts Jimmy Carter’s call for recognition of Hamas
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention leader criticized former President Jimmy Carter’s suggestion that Washington should recognize Hamas as a legitimate political actor as “morally reprehensible” and “an outrage.” Carter, a lifelong Baptist, joined Mary Robinson, a former president…
Gaza children learn NC Christians care about them
As the bombs began to fall, we grieved that we could leave but they could not. My wife, Emily and I are members of Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. In November, 2012, we had the unique opportunity to visit…
American Baptist leader asks churches to address growing global conflict
By Robert Dilday The general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA is calling on each of the denomination’s 5,200 congregations to offer prayers each Sunday in August for nations impacted by the “continued escalation of conflict” around the globe this…
Baptists urged to ‘wage peace’ in Israel
By Bob Allen Theology is part of the problem of instability in the Middle East but can be part of the solution, a Palestinian theologian said Nov. 9 at a conference titled “Waging Peace in Palestine and Israel” sponsored by…
Churches take on Palestinian issue
By Bob Allen Promoting peacemaking in the local church can be tricky when broaching conflicts about which people disagree, panelists advised Baptists in Washington, D.C., attending a Nov. 8-10 conference on “Waging Peace in Palestine and Israel” sponsored by the…
Baptist group to ‘wage peace’ in Palestine
By Bob Allen A pastor who ministers among a shrinking Palestinian Christian population in the city where Jesus was born is the scheduled keynote speaker for a Nov. 8-10 conference titled Waging Peace and Justice in Palestine at Calvary Baptist Church…
Longing for home
By Molly T. Marshall One cannot be in Israel very long without encountering significant conversation about “the right of return” – the privilege of any Jew in the world to come to the modern State of Israel and claim citizenship….