Calls from Southern Baptist leaders and others for immediate assistance, warnings of devastating consequences for Christians and prayer requests followed the rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban. The terrorist organization that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 regained control of the country when Kabul fell Aug. 15 after a stunningly swift advance to the […]
Drug overdose deaths reached an all-time high in the United States in 2020, rising nearly 30 percent to more than 93,000, according to the latest provisional numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among factors impacting the rising deaths are the isolation and loneliness suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed […]
There continues to be an opioid crisis in the United States that threatens the health, happiness, and future of millions of Americans. It has been called the greatest health crisis of the 21st century. Walhalla resident and emergency room physician Edwin Leap stated, “It’s clear from the oxycontin crisis that there was a drive from […]
Sixteen years to the day after Katrina’s historic landfall, Hurricane Ida arrived in Port Fourchon, La., around noon on Aug. 29 as a Category 4 storm. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams have started assessing damage and preparing their response. South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief units will be participating in the Hurricane Ida response. The initial […]
Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton has named Marshall Blalock to a seven-member task force to oversee a third-party review into the handling of sexual abuse claims by the SBC Executive Committee. Calling formation of the task force his “first priority,” Litton said the seven members of the task force “represent pastors, as well as […]
Hance Dilbeck Jr. was unanimously elected president-elect of GuideStone Financial Resources during a called meeting of the GuideStone trustee board May 20. Dilbeck, executive director-treasurer of Oklahoma Baptists since 2018, began serving July 1 alongside current GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins. After a transition period, Hawkins will become president emeritus, and Dilbeck would become president and CEO […]
Bobby Bowden, the legendary Florida State University football coach, made a surprise appearance at this year’s Send Luncheon hosted by the North American Mission Board. The unannounced visit came as Mark Richt, a longtime assistant to Bowden at Florida State, shared how his former boss led him to the Lord. “What would you say to […]
Worship led by Michael W. Smith and CeCe Winans, a rousing sermon from Tony Evans, and a concert by Christian recording artist Crowder kicked off the Send Conference 2021 June 13 at the Nashville Music City Center. Actually, the event started a little earlier, with a powerful prayer session led by Robby Gallaty, pastor of […]
Messengers resoundingly defeated a change to the Southern Baptist Convention business and financial plan proposed by the convention’s Executive Committee. Critics said the proposal would have granted the EC too much authority and left the six SBC seminaries in trouble with accreditors. The defeat was part of messengers’ mixed reception to a series of recommendations […]
A day after overruling the Resolutions Committee, messengers to the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting adopted a resolution June 16 calling for “abolishing abortion immediately, without exception or compromise.” The Resolutions Committee had declined the resolution, reasoning that while “messengers would agree with some aspects of this resolution,” the issue of abortion was addressed in […]