By Jeff Brumley A church bombing — moments before Sunday worship — would seem like a uniformly negative event in the life of a congregation and its minister. But that’s just not the case for Calvary Baptist Church and Kevin Glenn, who’s…
Serving the poor and homeless — and a passion for barbecue
By Jeff Brumley Texan Blake Barrow has two main callings in life. One is to serve the hungry and homeless. The other is to serve barbeque. And now the three-time Baylor University graduate has cooked up a plan to combine…
Controversial preacher returning to T4G stage
By Bob Allen A speaker sidelined two years ago by a sexual abuse scandal at his former church is back at center stage for an upcoming conference featuring prominent leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention. C.J. Mahaney, senior pastor of…
New book on James reveals connection between ministry and scholarship
By Jeff Brumley What scholars do in seminaries and minsters do in the field may seem like polar opposite endeavors. Well, Jason Coker says, they aren’t. “I never separate the academics from practical ministry,” said Coker, pastor of Wilton Baptist…
SBC leader to speak at controversial family congress
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention seminary president has joined the lineup of speakers for the first U.S. gathering of an international congress to affirm, celebrate and encourage the “natural family,” defined as marriage between a man and woman….
Baptist minister, children pioneer sacred arts camp concept
By Jeff Brumley Michael Sciretti, it turns out, has this thing for the tabernacle described in Exodus and how it parallels the creation account in Genesis. And he’s convinced the symbolism of it all contains an abundance of spiritual experiences…
Hispanic leader to be nominated president of Texas Baptist group
By Ken Camp and Jeff Brumley René Maciel, president of Baptist University of the Américas, will be nominated this fall for president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. And it comes just as the 2016 presidential election cycle is turning…
Accidental shooting kills N.C. Baptist pastor
By Bob Allen The founding pastor of one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in North Carolina died Aug. 29 in an accidental shooting while cleaning a pistol. Nations Ford Community Church in Charlotte, a predominantly African-American multi-site congregation affiliated…
Back to school with a free haircut, thanks to Gardner-Webb staffer
By Matthew Tessnear Keith Rhodes knows the importance of a good children’s haircut and the struggle with its cost for families who have limited resources. When Rhodes was 10 years old, his single mother, Janade, couldn’t afford a haircut for…