Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Church Gun Giveaway Draws Global Media Attention, Calls for Moral Reflection
Voice of Russia radio called for an interview. The call was as unexpected as the topic which interested the radio network. I initially thought the caller wanted to talk about what a Baptist was, since Russia had...
Where no one has gone before …
FORT WASHINGTON, PA -- "Space: the final frontier." Participants in the North American Baptist Fellowship's (NABF) "FutureBaptists Convocation" gathered March 6-7 to imagine what missional challenges for Baptists might...
History made here
The most important room in American history, one could argue, sits on the east side of what was once the Pennsylvania State House, and is now known as Independence Hall. A morning break between the Baptist World...
Mission Group Meeting Needs of Nepal’s People
Major celebrations took place in Kathmandu as United Mission to Nepal (UMN), a BMS World Mission partner, marked its 60th anniversary. Nepalese government representatives and other guests joined more than 150 staff at...
Prison Education Program Transforms Women’s Lives
People frequently ask, "Why offer the liberal arts in a prison?" Since January 2007, a few dozen women incarcerated at the Tennessee Prison for Women have used the liberal arts to imagine better lives for themselves...
Moldovan Pastor to Receive BWA’s Human Rights Award
Ilie Coada of Moldova is the 2014 recipient of the Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award. The award is given each year by the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) to an individual who has made significant and effective...
One Truth at a Time: The One and Only
A sermon by Jim Somerville, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va. March 2, 2014 Transfiguration Sunday Matthew 17:1-9 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a...
Final Gifts
A sermon by Bob Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. March 2, 2014 Matthew 28:16-20 Communion Devotion This morning, our attention is drawn to Jesus’ final words recorded by Matthew. We refer to this...
A Face LIke the Sun
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. March 2, 2014 Transfiguration Sunday Matthew 17:1-9 How good are you at keeping secrets? When someone whispers in your ear, does the...
Slipping Away
A sermon by Howard Batson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Tx. Luke 5:12-16; 6:12 March 2, 2014 Alone. A-L-O-N-E. There is something very frightening about this word. There is something very comforting about...
Storybook time …
A winter afternoon in Amish country has a storybook feel despite the traffic. One doesn't have to venture more than 30 miles west of Philadelphia to be surrounded by picturesque hillsides blanketed with snow and...
4 Signs Your Church Has Slipped into Survival Mode
Lack of visionary thinking causes institutions to stagnate. The Christian Century editorial board recently voiced this concern about seminaries and theological education, but their sentiments were broad enough to apply...
Baptist Leaders Urge Prayer for Ukraine, Russia
On March 4, the Euro-Asiatic Federation, which brings together many of the Baptist unions that were part of the Soviet Union, including Ukraine and Russia, issued a statement calling for a peaceful negotiation to the...
Politicians Divided Over Restoration of Voting Rights for Felons
Senate Democrats are divided over the restoration of voting rights for felons, according to The Hill, an agenda pushed by Attorney General Eric Holder. Senators in current re-election races - Sens. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.),...
Chilly in Philly
The largest shopping mall in the U.S. -- measured by retail space -- is in a Philadelphia suburb with only 20,000 permanent residents. Go figure. Early settlers in Pennsylvania had a sense of humor about place names:...
Fans or Disciples “ Which Kind of Follower Are You?
A recent gathering of clergy and lay leaders from churches across Georgia engaged in extended conversation about the needs and opportunities for ministry in our time and place. The normal needs for better...
Skype Interview: Anthony Peck on Ukraine
"I think the fact that we Baptists are not the state church actually helps us in this situation," said Anthony Peck, referring to the unfolding situation in Ukraine. Peck, general secretary of the European Baptist...
3 Ways for Clergy to Manage Their Communications
There was a fire hydrant in front of my childhood home in Valdosta, Ga. Twice a year, firefighters would drive up in their pumper truck, perform maintenance on the plug, paint the exterior and flush the pipes. It was...
Lotteries Here to Stay but Still Shameful
I believe the United States has been guilty of many sins throughout its history, collectively speaking. For example, most will agree that the systematic elimination of many native peoples, the kidnapping and...
Teaching Your Kids to Welcome Strangers and Be Safe
Horrifying stories about child abusers are never far from the news. The concern that strangers will abduct or otherwise abuse vulnerable children is one of the distinguishing fears of modern life. For older children,...
Why Your Bivocational Church Must Share Responsibility
I have officially coached several bivocational ministers and worked with dozens of others over the past few years. At some point in those coaching relationships, the problem of time has always come up. I have yet to...