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Check out news and opinion posts across the years
British Baptists Among Missing, Dead in London Attacks
As the first victims of the London bombings were identified publicly Tuesday, families continued to look for those missing and feared dead. The first victim named was 52-year-old Susan Levy, a mother of two killed in...
Moderates Ponder Future in North Carolina
The surprise resignation of a centrist executive director is causing moderates to question whether there is a place for them in the future of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Jim Royston, 57, who has...
Try a 21st Century Curriculum
No paper. No misplaced quarterly. No out-of-date leftovers. No recycling of printed curriculum. No expense for postage. No extra cost for printing and artwork. No added charge for promotional expenses incurred through...
Saying Yes and Saying No
The nation waited anxiously for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a recent slate of cases involving public displays of the Ten Commandments. It was hoped that the court would finally render a decision that would put to...
North Carolina Exec Moving to Pastorate
The executive director for North Carolina Baptists, who assumed his post in 1997 with goals of reconciling moderates and conservatives, is retiring at age 57 to return to the pastorate. Jim Royston, top administrator...
“Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team”
In the fall of 1981, publishers asked author George Jonas if he wanted to meet "a man who had an interesting story to tell." They were convinced the individual's extraordinary story was legitimate. Jonas undertook his...
British Baptists Respond in Wake of Bombings
Baptist churches in London sought to minister to victims affected by Thursday's terrorist attacks, while taking inventory to see whether their own members or loved ones were among the dozens killed and hundreds injured...
Baptist World Congress to Proceed Despite Bombings, Leaders Say
Leaders of the Baptist World Alliance on Friday announced that the upcoming Centenary Baptist World Congress will proceed in Birmingham, England, despite the July 7 terrorist attacks in London. "We believe in the face...
Best Baptists Head for Birmingham with Uncertainty in the Air
The shocking London bombing and disturbing aftershocks of threatened violence may cause many global Baptists to reconsider their attendance at the Centenary Congress of the Baptist World Alliance later this month in...
Baptist Leaders Decry London Attacks
Baptist leaders in Europe condemned Thursday's bombings in London, urged prayer for those affected by the attacks and renewed their commitment to witness for peace and justice when the global Baptist community gathers...
‘Make Poverty History’ Campaign Unites British Baptists
If you believe the newspapers and popular media reports, there are only two faces of the campaign to get G8 leaders to make serious decisions about debt relief and aid: anarchist thugs and pop music consumers. But...
Joy and Pain
12:46 p.m. British Time, July 6th. The whole nation holds its breath. The president of the International Olympic Committee opens the envelope presented to him on a silk pillow: "… The Games of the 30th Olympiad in 2012...
Recall the Sermon on the Mount When Watching Events in London
Baptists in America and around the world need to focus their pastoral prayers in worship and prayers of concern in Sunday school on our British neighbors this Sunday. We also need to re-read personally and corporately...
Christian Group Criticizes Jessica Simpson Video
Denouncing a new Jessica Simpson video as "slutty," a Christian media watchdog Web site called on the singer, actress and celebrity spokesperson for sexual abstinence to apologize and issue a more tasteful re-shoot....
More Body Space Sells for Advertising
It's happened again: Another forehead has been auctioned online as space for a tattooed advertisement. And the tattoo is permanent. Kari Smith, a 30-year-old Utah mother, offered her forehead as advertising space to...
Stassen Calls for ‘Motherhood Mandate’
A Baptist ethicist challenged for claiming that abortions increased under President Bush says America needs a "motherhood mandate" to ensure that women have economic security and healthcare as a deterrent to abortion....
I Knew I Was an American Baptist
Southern Baptist Conventions were part of my summer schedule for years, until they were no longer home. I then found community in participating in General Assemblies of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Five years...
Film on Columbine Victim Wins Award
One of the most famous stories to emerge from the Columbine school massacre has become an award-winning short film. "Rachel's Challenge," a 7-minute film about student Rachel Scott who professed belief in God before...
American Baptist Head Urges Unity Amid Controversy
The head of American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. told delegates at the group's biennial meeting that differences over homosexuality should not be allowed to split the 1.4-million-member body. Responding to...
Don Quixote, Alive and Well in the Southern Baptist Convention
The old Southern Baptist Convention held its annual session last month. The SBC organized in 1845 because Baptists in the North objected to sending missionaries who owned slaves or were supported by slave owners. So,...
Christian Agrarianism and Rural Community
Essayist, poet, novelist, lay theologian and farmer are all descriptive of the life and work of Wendell Berry. For more than 40 years he has lived on and worked a small farm in Kentucky. His roots are generations deep...