Thursday, June 20, 2019

• Floyd affirms Birmingham progress, eyes SBC 2020

  by Diana Chandler, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  Photo by Rebecca Manry

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Answered prayer, unity, compassion and clarity are among distinguishing characteristics of the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd told Baptist Press.

  "I feel like the spirit of the convention was overall really strong, and I contribute that to a lot of things. But overall, I think that God answered our prayer. I believe that the Spirit of the Lord was present," Floyd said. "I think there was a resolve coming to Birmingham that we're going to speak clearly, we're going to try to do it in the right way, and I thank God the messengers determined to do it in the right spirit." Read More

• High court upholds cross on public land

  by Tom Strode, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  First Liberty photo

  WASHINGTON (BP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday (June 20) a 40-foot cross on public land that serves as a memorial to World War I soldiers does not defy the First Amendment's ban on government establishment of religion.

  In a 7-2 decision, the justices reversed the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals' opinion that a Latin cross in Bladensburg, Md., violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment under a nearly 50-year-old test by promoting Christianity. The American Humanist Association (AHA) challenged the constitutionality of the cross, which was completed in 1925 to memorialize 49 soldiers from Prince George's County, Md. Read More

• Churchgoers split on visibility of their faith

  by Aaron Earls, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  iStock

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Spiritual topics aren't a part of regular conversations with fellow believers for many Protestant churchgoers, but most seem at least somewhat confident others know they're a Christian.

  The 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment study from LifeWay Research found those who regularly attend Protestant churches are split on how visible and pervasive their faith is in daily life. Read More

• Pastor arrested for rape, molestation

  by Diana Chandler, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  LAKE CHARLES, La. (BP) -- A former Southern Baptist pastor is jailed in Lake Charles, La., after allegedly raping and molesting a pre-teen girl for two years, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office (CPSO) reported June 17.

  Bellview Baptist Church in Westlake, La., fired 45-year-old John Michael Ward after his arrest, the church said in a statement released yesterday (June 19) by the Carey Baptist Association of Lake Charles. Read More

• FTC panel addresses SBC's 'inflection point'

  by T. Patrick Hudson, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  Photo by Marc Ira Hooks

  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) –- The Southern Baptist Convention's future ministry and mission was the topic of a For the Church panel discussion hosted by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary during the SBC annual meeting.

  Moderated by MBTS President Jason Allen, the discussion featured Paul Chitwood, H.B. Charles Jr., Ronnie Floyd, Kevin Ezell and Jamie Dew, filling the room with nearly 1,000 attendees Tuesday, June 11, at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Read More

• Longtime missionary to Japan Ralph Calcote, 95, dies

  by Mary Jane Welch, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  WESSON, Miss. (BP) -- Every week a small group of World War II and Korea veterans meet in Wesson, Miss., to drink coffee, maybe eat lunch, swap stories and remember comrades who died. But Ralph Calcote no longer joins the Greatest Generation Coffee Club, having died at age 95 on May 9.

  Calcote's story, encompassing 35 years as a missionary to Japan, wasn't quite like the other veterans in the group. Read More

• K. Marshall Williams receives OBU's Hobbs Award

  by OBU Communications, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  Submitted photo

  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Philadelphia pastor K. Marshall Williams Sr. received Oklahoma Baptist University's Herschel H. Hobbs Award for Distinguished Denominational Service June 10 in Birmingham, Ala.

  Williams, senior pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia for more than 35 years, was the 2006-2008 president of the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania/South Jersey and was elected as president of the state convention presidents' fellowship in 2008. Read More

• B21 panel: Protecting abuse victims central to mission

  by Andrew J.W. Smith, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  Photo by Van Payne

  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Protecting sexual abuse victims is central to the mission of the church, said a group of denominational leaders during the Baptist21 panel on June 11 in Birmingham, Ala.

  Immediately after the panel, Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, addressed his church's handling of a sexual abuse case as reported June 10 in the New York Times. The panel was held in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting, June 11-12. Read More

• 9Marks panel on church influence, culture, SBC

  by Lauren Pratt, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  Photo by Matt Miller

  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- This year's 9Marks panel discussions tackled the current state of the Southern Baptist Convention and whether or not the health of a church is enough to sustain itself in this cultural moment during two evenings of discussion in conjunction with the SBC's annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala.

  The Monday evening (June 10) discussion was led by Mark Dever, co-founder of 9Marks and senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C, and Jonathan Leeman, 9Marks editorial director. Conversation centered around the topic, "Are Healthy Churches Enough for Today's Problems?" Dever and Leeman's discussion was a live recording of their Pastors' Talk podcast, which they record weekly to discuss practical aspects of pastoral ministry and Christian life. Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: 'Because you say so ...'

  by Keith Shorter, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  Obedience to Jesus, Keith Shorter writes, may not always make sense. It might even be costly. But apart from Jesus, "you may miss the supernatural." Read More

• Bible Study: June 23, 2019

  by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  iStock

  This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups. Read More

• Líderes del Consejo Hispano de la SBC hablan de alcanzar a los hispanos

  Por Keila Díaz, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  Foto por Lindy Lynch

  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Representantes del Consejo de Líderes Hispanos de la Convención Bautista del Sur (SBC) discutieron sobre las complejidades del ministerio en las comunidades hispanas -- y de ministrar en sus contextos particulares -- en un panel auspiciado por el Programa Cooperativo durante la reunión anual de la SBC en Birmingham, Ala.

  Durante el panel, el cual fue realizado completamente en español, el moderador Bobby Sena le hizo al grupo preguntas sobre desafíos que ellos enfrentan al alcanzar a los diferentes grupos de hispanos. También discutieron sobre los métodos eficientes de evangelismo, los recursos que usan, y específicamente trabajar con los hispanos que están "apartados," ... Read More

• Panelistas urgen unidad, no uniformidad en SBC

  Por Grace Thornton, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  Foto de Adam Covington.

  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- "En cuanto a lo esencial, unidad; en cuanto a lo no esencial, libertad" -- esa fue la declaración de cierre de Ken Whitten y de todo el tema del panel del Evangelio sobre Todo el miércoles en la mañana (12 de junio) en la reunión anual de la Convención Bautista del Sur (SBC) 2019.

  Este panel fue uno de tres durante la reunión en Birmingham, Ala., "designado para destacar algunas conversaciones que ya tomaban lugar," dijo el presidente de la SBC J.D. Greear. Otros paneles abordaron la reconciliación racial y el valor de la mujer en la misión de Dios. Read More

• Trabajador de campamento de LifeWay acusado de abuso sexual infantil

  Por LifeWay y personal de BP , posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  

  Foto de archivo de BP

  OVERGAARD, Ariz. (BP) -- Un trabajador del campamento 2019 de Recursos Cristianos LifeWay fue arrestado esta semana en Overgaard, Ariz., y acusado por la oficina del alguacil del condado Navajo de múltiples cargos por felonía de abuso sexual infantil.

  Noah Paradis, de 19 años, servía como trabajador de verano en el CentriKid Camp, un ministerio de LifeWay. El alegado abuso de dos menores ocurrió en el Bison Ranch Retreat Center durante el campamento. El involucramiento en el campamento LifeWay de Paradis estuvo limitado a la semana del 10 al 14 de junio, dijo LifeWay en un comunicado de prensa recibido por Baptist Press el viernes (14 de junio). Tan pronto como LifeWay fue informado de las acusaciones, se dio por terminado su empleo, dijo el comunicado. Read More

• EDITORIAL: ¿Qué necesitas hoy?

  Luis R. Lopez, posted Thursday, June 20, 2019 (3 years ago)

  Conocer a Cristo y confiarle a El nuestra vida nos asegura de una fuente inagotable de bendiciones. La vida puede estar llena de malos ratos, desvíos y momentos difíciles, pero la promesa que Dios pastoreará a sus hijos es un tesoro invalorable.

  David al igual que muchos ,,, Read More