Baptists have always placed a high priority on starting new churches. As the new churches come into being, one of the questions they face is what kind of governing documents they need. In Baptist circles, four kinds of governing documents…
EDITORIAL: Movin’ on
As I write this, the Southern Baptist Convention is winding up its annual meeting in Houston and one of the voices raised was that of Fred Luter, convention president. Divisions among Southern Baptists must end, Luter said. As reported by…
Occult obsession not a passing phenomenon but a folk religion, say some experts
Many Americans love sinking their teeth into stories about vampires, and some fans live for the latest tales of the undead. But as vacationers pack their beach bags with “teen paranormal romance” novels and movie-goers await World War Z, what…
LEADERSHIP LINK: As I write this
Every church has a few of them. Some have many — people who live with chronic pain or illness. Some of them live in families or in retirement communities, but many of them live at home, getting by the best…
America exporting new religion, Australian theologian insists
Fascination with zombies and vampires reflects a global New Spirituality which America shapes through pop culture, said theologian Ross Clifford, author of The Cross Is Not Enough: Living as Witnesses to the Resurrection. Clifford, principal of Morling College in New…
EDITORIAL: Will fundamentalism be with us forever?
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee president, Frank Page, hopes the convention can unify. (See “Team named to address Calvinism in SBC,” Herald, Aug. 20, 2012). He’s not talking about those of us who adhere to the 1963 Baptist Faith…
Occult obsession now a folk religion, say some
Many Americans love sinking their teeth into stories about vampires, and some fans live for the latest tales of the undead. But as vacationers pack their beach bags with “teen paranormal romance” novels and movie-goers await World War Z, what…
EDITORIAL: What happens in Washington doesn’t stay in Washington
In a recent conversation with Eddie Heath, one of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s field strategists, he expressed concern that five churches in his region had lost their pastors, some under difficult circumstances. “I have never seen it like this…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Good stewardship means being wise in your giving
Years ago I served as the treasurer of the ministerial alliance in our town. I soon learned that some people had become highly skilled in separating well-meaning Christians and even churches from their money! Good stewardship takes seriously Jesus’ admonition…