Some Christians may have written off public education, but others are discovering innovative ways to develop meaningful relationships with public schools. Over the last decade, the Exodus Mandate captured the attention of some evangelicals with its call to “leave government…
Texas Baptist officials deny bloggers’ report that BGCT held funds for mission board
DALLAS (ABP) — Leaders said blogs accusing the Baptist General Convention of Texas of escrowing funds from the Lottie Moon Offering to improve its cash flow were erroneous and result of a record-keeping glitch. Officials at the Southern Baptist Convention…
Transformed lives — not just sobriety — the goal of recovery ministries
Terry Walker fell to his knees in the shower stall of a South Texas substance abuse treatment center, crying out to God for release from the chains of addiction. “God blessed me with the gift of desperation,” Walker said. “At…
Transformed lives — not just sobriety — the goal of recovery ministries
Terry Walker fell to his knees in the shower stall of a South Texas substance abuse treatment center, crying out to God for release from the chains of addiction. “God blessed me with the gift of desperation,” Walker said. “At…
Religious liberty demands constant vigilance, congressman insists
HOUSTON — An advocate in the U.S. Congress for church-state separation thanked Baptists for their contributions to religious liberty and reminded them of the need to continue defending the wall of separation. “I have seen too often the political temptations…
Ministry network recognized, hailed as emerging trend at commissioning service
HOUSTON — Participants at a commissioning service held in conjunction with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship general assembly not only prayed for six field personnel assuming new assignments, but also recognized representatives of a ministry network serving in China. Pastor Steve…
Baptist women clearly left their mark in colonial America
“Some of the early Baptist church records did not even list the names of women members, and early histories of the Baptist faith in America gave little attention to the role and contributions of women,” she said. “Because of this…
What does it mean to be Baptist?
Some of the same theological disputes that divided Baptists throughout their first 400 years continue to distinguish different branches of the Baptist family tree in the early years of the 21st century, theologian James Leo Garrett said. And other challenges…
Southern progressivism left its mark on WMU
Southern-style Social Gospel may not be the first thing that springs to mind when most Baptists think of Woman’s Missionary Union, but Southern progressivism significantly influenced the organization in its formative years, church historian Carol Holcomb noted. Holcomb, associate professor…
What does it mean to be Baptist?
Some of the same theological disputes that divided Baptists throughout their first 400 years continue to distinguish different branches of the Baptist family tree in the early years of the 21st century, theologian James Leo Garrett said. And other challenges…
Historic Baptist ordination practices reveal a tangled web
Pragmatism and tradition have stood alongside biblical and theological principles in shaping Baptist ordination practices, church historian Karen Bullock told the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute colloquy. “The concept of ordination as practiced by Baptists today is a complex — even…
Baptism: Neither a means of obtaining grace nor a trivial ritual
By looking back to their beliefs and practices from the mid-18th century to the early 19th century, Baptists can reclaim a view of baptism between the poles of sacramentalism and “mere symbolism,” church historian and theologian Sheila Klopfer said. Historically,…