Baptist Press Archive

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

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  • EC elects diverse presidential search committee
    by David Roach & Diana Chandler, posted Tuesday, April 17, 2018 (4 years ago)

    Photo by Rebecca Manry
    NASHVILLE (BP) -- The six-member committee charged with nominating the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is marked by racial and gender diversity as well as a mixture of clergy and laypeople.

    The presidential search committee was elected during a special called EC meeting in Nashville today (April 17). The meeting -- prompted by the March 27 departure of former EC President Frank S. Page -- also included reports from EC chairman Stephen Rummage and interim president D. August Boto. See related Baptist Press report. Read More

  • Neb., Tenn. defund Planned Parenthood
    by Samantha Gobba/WORLD, posted Tuesday, April 17, 2018 (4 years ago)

    iStock
    NASHVILLE (BP) -- Nebraska and Tennessee this month joined more than a dozen states that have cut funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, a pro-life campaign that has seen mixed results.

    Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts approved a budget that prohibits Title X funding from going to abortion providers, directing $1.9 million toward centers that neither refer for nor perform abortions. Read More

  • SBC called 'force multiplier' for local churches

    by SBTS Communications , posted Tuesday, April 17, 2018 (4 years ago)

    SBTS photo
    LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention is a "force multiplier" for local churches, noted Mark Dever April 13 during a public conversation with R. Albert Mohler Jr.

    "I became an advocate for [my church] becoming more involved in the Southern Baptist Convention," Dever explained, "not out of a sense of tribal loyalty -- not that that's bad -- but because as a Gospel Christian who wants to see the Gospel taken to the ends of the earth, I think the SBC is a force multiplier." Read More

  • Half the man he used to be: Pastor drops 240 pounds
    by Roger Alford/Kentucky Today, posted Tuesday, April 17, 2018 (4 years ago)

    Photo by Roger Alford/Kentucky Today
    GLASGOW, Ky. (BP) -- There's a good reason for the spring in Jeremy Atwood's step.

    The Glasgow, Ky., pastor has lost 240 pounds over the past two years on a quest to restore his physical and spiritual health.

    For Atwood, food had become a vice that was sapping his energy and hindering his ministry. Years of unchecked eating had brought him to the brink of 500 pounds.

    "I was a fast food junkie," he said. "I mean, I was truly addicted."

    Atwood, 37, senior pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, isn't alone in his struggle with food. Studies have shown that one of every three Kentuckians is considered obese. And pastors are especially prone. Read More

  • FIRST-PERSON: Googling autism & the church
    by DeAnna Gibson, posted Tuesday, April 17, 2018 (4 years ago)

    In googling autism from a family perspective, DeAnna Gibson found that their struggles made churchgoing futile or, as she was experiencing, extremely difficult, underscoring the importance of churches connecting with special needs families. Read More

  • Racism, sexual sin among T4G speakers' topics

    by SBTS Communications, posted Tuesday, April 17, 2018 (4 years ago)

    SBTS photo
    LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Racism and sexual sin were among the facets of holiness addressed during the 2018 Together for the Gospel conference during nine plenary sessions attended by more than 12,500 evangelicals.

    "Distinct from the world" was the theme of the April 11-13 sessions in the KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Ky. The conference also featured various panel discussions, breakout sessions and other gatherings.

    Speakers David Platt and R. Albert Mohler Jr. addressed the key issues of racism and sexual sin, respectively, during their messages. Read More