I did a double-take when I read the sign in front of a small white church beside a two-lane blacktop that snaked through the hills of western North Carolina. I stopped and backed up my SUV to get a second look. The weathered 12-by-18 sign read: “Welcome to Trinity Baptist Church. We are an Independent, […]
6 Ways Confessions of Faith Promote Church Health
Particular Baptist churches planted in the tumultuous soil of 17th century England grew up and bore fruit under a nasty set of doctrinal and methodological accusations, including that they subscribed to libertarian free will, denied original sin, that their pastors baptized women in the nude, and were opponents of church and crown. Perhaps their most […]
‘I Am Southern Baptist’: A Confessional People and Their Confession of Faith
“Who are you?” the criminal once asked Batman. “Who are you?” the ’70s rock band, the Who, once asked their generation. In one sense, the answer should be obvious. We ought to be able to answer as Popeye did: “I am who I am and that’s all that I am.” But, is it really? Can […]
Husband and wife team reaching Buddhists in Thailand
Imagine a place where there is no suffering, and the endless cycle of death and rebirth is completed. The eightfold path, referred to as the “middle way,” is said to be the key to arriving. Arriving where? Nirvana, the goal, the prize, the purpose of a Buddhist’s life. Buddhists are assured that if they gain […]
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief assessing Idalia response
With the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Florida’s Big Bend area, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams began assessing the damage in preparation for a response. “We have been in touch with SBDR leaders in the storm’s path and been involved in preparations,” Coy Webb, Crisis Response director for Send Relief, told Baptist Press Aug. 30. […]
Want to reach college students? Build connection points that last
Chris Craighead Jr. has been in college ministry for 12 years. But in that relatively short period of time, he’s seen a shift in how students see the Church. More to the point, there’s a difference in how much they trust it. “Students are leery of the Church,” said Craighead, college pastor at North Monroe […]
UPDATE: EC conducting internal investigation related to McLaurin
The SBC Executive Committee has begun an investigation into the circumstances leading to the resignation of Willie McLaurin. McLaurin resigned on Aug. 17 after confessing to falsifying his education background. He was serving as the interim president and CEO and was thought to be the leading candidate for the permanent role. He had served the EC […]
New movie ‘The Hill’ depicts father/son story of pro baseball player Rickey Hill
“The Hill,” released Aug. 25, tells the inspirational true story of professional baseball player Rickey Hill, the son of a Southern Baptist pastor. Hill overcame a degenerative spinal disease, confining him to leg braces as a child, and also healed his relationship with his father (played by Dennis Quaid), who originally did not want him […]
Southern Baptists continue to serve, urge support for ‘devastated’ Maui
Southern Baptists are continuing to serve the “devastated” Maui community just weeks after wildfires decimated the island, leaving more than 100 dead. Several Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention churches are providing for immediate needs like shelter and supplies to displaced people. In a recently released video, Send Relief President Bryant Wright spoke with Hawaii pastor Rocky […]
South Carolina Supreme Court OKs heartbeat abortion ban, reversing course
South Carolina’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s latest fetal heartbeat abortion ban Aug. 23, although the court in January struck down a previous and nearly identical version of the ban. Both bills limit abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat with exceptions, including to save the mother’s life and in cases of rape, incest […]