HONOLULU—Innovative missions today demand contextualized ministries shaped by local churches—not one-size-fits-all imported strategies implemented by professionals, a missions professor from Texas and a pastor from South Australia told a focus group at the Baptist World Congress. Mike Stroope, missions professor…
Faithful preachers proclaim God’s message without fear, Jamaican Baptist insists
HONOLULU — Preaching should be dangerous business, because faithful preachers dare to deliver a message from God — regardless of the consequences, Karl Johnson, general secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Union, told the Baptist World Congress. Addressing the 20th Congress…
Christians commanded to love their Muslim neighbors, panelists insist
HONOLULU — A West Texas missions professor who served more than two decades in Indonesia and an Arab Baptist educator from Lebanon emphasized the need to reach out in love to Muslims. Robert Sellers, missions professor at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon…
Listen to the Spirit, receive the Spirit’s anointing, Coffey urges
HONOLULU — Human effort and creative strategies lead to futility apart from an anointing by God’s Holy Spirit, British Baptist leader David Coffey told the opening session of the Baptist World Congress, July 28 in Honolulu. Coffey, who completes his…
Board distances BGCT from gay-affirming Dallas church
DALLAS — The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board voted May 25 to refuse any financial contributions from a North Dallas church that has ordained as deacons practicing homosexuals, and the board asked the church to stop identifying itself…
Biomedical ethics in a brave, new world
POSSUM KINGDOM, Texas — When Dennis Trammell exhausted treatments available in the United States for his multiple sclerosis and began looking at other options, he excluded from consideration any possible regimens involving embryonic stem cells. “I didn’t even explore that,”…
Task force report urges SBC to free IMB to work in North America
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force will ask the Southern Baptist Convention to give its International Mission Board freedom to evangelize unreached people groups on what had been the exclusive turf of the North American Mission Board….
Contraception and abstinence not contradictory messages, Baylor researcher says
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…