WACO, Texas — Teaching young people the importance of sexual abstinence outside of marriage and sharing information about contraception need not be seen as contradictory messages, a Baylor University researcher has concluded. Michael Sherr, director of doctoral studies at the…
Deep water dilemma: Can Baptists agree on baptism?
“Other denominations certainly have tended to see it [believer’s baptism by immersion] as what set Baptists apart. For centuries, it has been the most obvious answer to the question: What makes Baptists different?” said James Leo Garrett, distinguished professor emeritus…
Tight economy should prompt churches to look at how they handle money
DALLAS — Tough economic times may result in stronger, healthier and smarter churches and Christian ministries, according to Dan Busby, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. In times of economic stress, contributors prioritize giving. So, local congregations and…
What lasts forever? Faith, hope, love …and anything posted on Facebook
A student’s Facebook entry chronicles the painful details of a romantic break-up. Or describes an ill-spent weekend partying with friends. Or scathingly blisters someone who holds differing political views. Fast-forward a few years. That same student sits in a job…
Dallas church publicly acknowledges welcoming stance toward gays
DALLAS — A North Dallas church has changed its website to identify itself as inclusive of varied sexual orientations — a move that potentially could put the church at odds with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. A March 6…
In Texas, Religious Right loses fight with national curriculum implications
DALLAS (ABP) — The Religious Right suffered a surprise setback in Texas when incumbent Don McLeroy — a creationist and critic of church-state separation — narrowly lost his re-election bid for the powerful State Board of Education to challenger Thomas…
Forgive us our trespasses: Christians called to ministry of reconciliation
At age 8, Chris Carrier was abducted, stabbed multiple times with an ice pick, shot in the left temple at pointblank range and abandoned in the Florida Everglades. Miraculously, he survived the ordeal, although the bullet to his head severed…
Martin Marty offers no easy predictions for Baptists’ next 400 years
WACO, Texas — Nobody can predict with certainty what the next 400 years hold for Baptists — or for any religious denomination, church historian Martin Marty told a gathering at Baylor University. But Marty, professor emeritus at the University of…
Fort Worth church declines to send messengers to BGCT
FORT WORTH—Rather than face a challenge from the floor of the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting or submit to having its beliefs about homosexuality examined by the BGCT Executive Board, Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth chose not…