Monday, August 27, 2018

• Thom Rainer announces retirement from LifeWay

  by Carol Pipes, posted Monday, August 27, 2018 (one year ago)

  

  Submitted photo

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- LifeWay Christian Resources President and CEO Thom S. Rainer announced Monday (Aug. 27) his plans to retire in the coming year.

  To provide adequate time for the search process for the next president and CEO and for a smooth transition, Rainer said he will serve until a new president is named or through the end of August 2019, whichever comes first. Read More

• 'Be the light' urged after Jacksonville shootings

  by Diana Chandler, posted Monday, August 27, 2018 (one year ago)

  

  News4Jax screen capture

  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- Four deaths and 13 injuries from shootings at two sporting events this past weekend in Jacksonville, Fla., have leaders lamenting "a new normal" of violence amid calls to prayer that seemingly fade away.

  Three were killed and 11 injured in a mass shooting at a high stakes video game tournament Sunday (Aug. 26) in downtown Jacksonville, following the killing of one and the injury of two others at a high security Friday night high school football game just seven miles away. The violence follows the Valentine's Day 2018 massacre of 14 students and staff at a Parkland, Fla., high school that also injured 17. Read More

• Reaching gamers with the Gospel

  by Aaron Wilson, posted Monday, August 27, 2018 (one year ago)

  

  Image: iStock/license purchase required.

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- For Drew Dixon, taking the Gospel to the nations involves traversing the Kingdom of Hyrule, visiting the Planet Gaia, and mingling with settlers of Catan.

  For those who are not familiar with these locations, don't bother trying to find them on Google Earth. Each of these lands acts as a virtual or imaginary setting for a popular video or tabletop game.

  While such worlds may be made up, Dixon believes they exist as real mission ... Read More

• Small church, bivocational group offers free education

  by Diana Chandler, posted Monday, August 27, 2018 (one year ago)

  

  Submitted photo.

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- As Joe Wright Jr. and his wife Pennie worshiped with a Southern Baptist congregation of 12 members in the Tennessee Delta just a few weeks ago, the pastor's participation was noticeable.

  "We sat there and watched the pastor open his hymnbook and without a piano, he led those 12 people in about three songs," said Wright, in his fourth month as executive director of the Bivocational & Small Church Leadership Network (BSCLN). '"When he was done, he shut the hymnbook, and he said let's pray. And he prayed, and he said, 'It's time for the preaching.' And he opened the Bible, ... Read More

• 'Porn and the Pastor' e-book: Joint SBTS/TGC release

  by SBTS Communications, posted Monday, August 27, 2018 (one year ago)

  

  Submitted photo.

  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- A free e-book, "Porn and the Pastor: The Life and Death Consequences of Addiction in Ministry," has been published jointly by Southern Equip, a resource center for pastors from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and The Gospel Coalition, a fellowship of churches in the Reformed tradition.

  The e-book, edited by C. Jeffery Robinson and Garrett Kell, is available as a download at The Gospel Coalition website, thegospelcoalition.org. Read More

• Hawaii sees 'incredible witness' amid hurricane, fire

  by David Roach, posted Monday, August 27, 2018 (one year ago)

  

  CBS News screen capture.

  HILO, Hawaii (BP) -- Though Hurricane Lane dumped more than four feet of rain on some parts of Hawaii, the state's Baptists say the storm will be remembered for God's protection far more than destruction or injury.

  Prayers for Hawaii offered by fellow believers "have been amazing," said Darrell McCain, disaster relief director for the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention (HPBC). "God has answered the prayer by just taking a Category 4 storm and basically destroying it before it had a chance to do anymore damage. We're real thankful for that." Read More

• FROM THE SEMINARIES: MBTS convocation, dedication for founding president; Boyce receives teacher education certification

  by SBC Seminary & BP Staff, posted Monday, August 27, 2018 (one year ago)

  

  Photo credit goes to Kristen Lanier.

  In today's From the Seminaries: Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Boyce College at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

  Midwestern opens semester with convocation, building dedication

  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- Fall convocation is a time of "consecrating ourselves anew for the task of ministry preparation," Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in formally opening the new academic year Aug. 21 at the Kansas City, Mo., campus. Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: Reading the Bible, every year

  by Doug Munton, posted Monday, August 27, 2018 (one year ago)

  For Doug Munton, reading through the Bible each year helps him see "the big picture of God's story more clearly" and "stretches my understanding and deepens my faith." Read More