Baptist Press Archive

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

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  • Diaspora missions conf. called 'catalytic moment'
    by Seth Brown, BR Content Editor, posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

    Photo by Seth Brown
    BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) -- God is "the Divine Maestro, orchestrating the movements of the nations," J.D. Payne told attendees during the Aug. 26-27 "Reaching the Nations in North America" conference.

    Payne, pastor for church multiplication with The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., emphasized the importance of churches engaging in diaspora missions, which is the task of evangelizing migrants. The Southern Baptist missions conference was held at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tenn., and exceeded expectations with about 400 attendees. Read More

  • SBC seminaries healthy, face M.Div. challenge
    by David Roach, posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

    NASHVILLE (BP) -- When it comes to training pastors, Southern Baptist Convention seminaries compare favorably with North American seminaries generally, according to a comparative data analysis by Baptist Press.

    Still, a slight shift of students away from the master of divinity -- the basic pastoral training degree -- and toward less rigorous master of arts degrees focused on general theological studies parallels a trend nationally at seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. Read More

  • 2016 politics: Change looms for church, speakers say
    by Tom Strode, posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

    NASHVILLE (BP) -- The increasing threat to religious liberty and the brokenness of politics in this election year demonstrate the need for change among Christians in America, speakers said at a gathering Aug. 27 in Nashville.

    The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) cosponsored the event – "The 2016 Presidential Race, Religious Liberty and the Future of the Church" -- a day after the conclusion of the ERLC's National Conference on cultural engagement and Gospel faithfulness. Read More

  • SBDR brings stability to La. flood survivors
    by Carmen K. Sisson, posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

    Photo by Carmen K. Sisson/NAMB
    DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (BP) -- The stench of floodwater filled the air, mingling with a hint of mold. Kim Rowland, a volunteer with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, remained undaunted.

    One by one, she pulled items from the lower cabinet -- a crockpot filled with water the color of thin gumbo, fine china spattered with mud and glass baking dishes frosted with sediment.

    All remnants of a mid-August flood that swept through Louisiana without mercy, leaving 13 people dead and damaging more than 100,000 homes in 20 parishes. Immediately, SBDR sprang into action. ... Read More

  • New birth sprouts among dozens of flood survivors
    by Jane Rodgers/Southern Baptist TEXAN, posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

    Photo by Mike Dunn
    LAFAYETTE, La. (BP) -- "I would go to hell," a man replied honestly when Wayne Barber asked where he thought he would be if he died.

    But the man, who was helping his sister with her flooded Louisiana home, changed his demeanor as Barber, a disaster relief chaplain with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, explained the Gospel to him. At the end of their conversation, the man prayed to receive Christ.

    "You could just see the Holy Spirit working," fellow SBTC chaplain Laquita Hunter said. Read More

  • Pro-gay 'shame list' heavy on Baptist colleges
    by David Roach, posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

    NASHVILLE (BP) -- Nearly a third of the 102 institutions of higher education on a pro-homosexual activist group's list of "the absolute worst colleges for [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] youth" have Southern Baptist ties.

    All schools on the list, which was published Aug. 29 by the college-focused organization Campus Pride, have a religious affiliation, with the vast majority affirming historic, orthodox Christianity. Thirty-one institutions listed (30.4%) cooperate either with the Southern Baptist Convention or a Baptist state convention that partners with the SBC. Read More

  • FIRST-PERSON: Essential discipleship
    by David H. McKinley, posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 (8 years ago)

    Discipleship entails three essential elements, David McKinley writes. Versus a "myopic view," discipleship encompasses conversion, spiritual formation and mission, the Georgia pastor notes in underscoring to believers, "You are an evangelist, mentor and missionary." Read More