Michael Whitehead/contributing writer WASHINGTON – On May 13, the Obama administration directed public schools (K-12) and colleges to permit transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity instead of their biological sex. It did so in a “Dear Colleague” letter from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Education Department (ED), warning that failure of a school district or college to comply might result in loss of federal funding. … [Read more...]
SBC exhibits: missions, ministry, elections
ST LOUIS (BP) – Interviews with the three Southern Baptist Convention presidential candidates and the launch of a new missions blog spot will highlight the Cooperative Program booth in conjunction with the 2016 SBC annual meeting June 14-15 in St. Louis. The offerings will be included in three days of dialogue and celebration of the Gospel advancement the Cooperative Program affords among Southern Baptists, said Ashley Clayton, SBC Executive Committee vice president for Cooperative Program … [Read more...]
Missouri pastor Malachi O’Brien to be 2nd VP nominee
ST. LOUIS (BP) – Missouri pastor Malachi O'Brien will be nominated for second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Oklahoma pastor Brad Graves announced May 31. O'Brien has been pastor of The Church at Pleasant Ridge in Kansas City-area Harrisonville since 2011 and associate pastor of prayer and church revitalization at nearby First Baptist Church in Raytown, Mo., since 2014. He is immediate past president of the Missouri Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference and has … [Read more...]
Light in a confused world
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 Few would dispute the fact that our world is becoming more confusing. Young children may question, “Am I a boy/girl, or am I a boy/girl who looks like a boy/girl?” While shopping, where do I go to us the bathroom when there may be new choices? What are the Ten Commandments? Do those Ten Commandments just apply sometimes, or are they no longer applicable at all? Is our country’s Constitution outdated? Who has the … [Read more...]
FBC Ferguson’s Joe Costephens speaks on Crossover 2016
In spite of all the negative realities of now famous Ferguson, Joe Costephens – now Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Ferguson – sees the crisis resulting in wide-open opportunities to spread the good news of Jesus! Hear him talk about it in his own words in this exciting interview with Harold Hendrick. … [Read more...]
Wells up for 15th term as registration secretary
ST. LOUIS (BP) – Jim Wells, a church consultant and retired Missouri Baptist Convention staff member, will be nominated for a 15th term as Southern Baptist Convention registration secretary, Missouri pastor Eddie Bumpers announced June 2. "Jim has served as registration secretary for over a decade and has proven himself to be a man who is faithful, competent and joyful in welcoming messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention," Bumpers, pastor of Crossway Baptist Church in Springfield, … [Read more...]
Crossover efforts aimed at Hispanic communities in St. Louis in June
ST. LOUIS (BP) – Already a hub of ethnic outreach, Tower Grove Baptist Church in central St. Louis will extend the Gospel to a nearby Hispanic community during Crossover. Tower Grove Baptist Church A yearly evangelistic outreach, Crossover precedes the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in the host city. It will peak on Saturday, June 12, as local Baptists and volunteers from across the country conduct block parties and other community events throughout the metro St. Louis … [Read more...]
Facebook’s alleged anti-conservative bias debated
NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptist social media observers have expressed diverse reactions to allegations that Facebook “routinely suppressed” news of interest to conservative readers from the site’s “trending” news section. National Religious Broadcasters President Jerry Johnson said Facebook “must change if they want our trust and participation in their platform.” Meanwhile, social media expert Marty Duren of LifeWay Christian Resources and digital strategist Darrel Girardier of the … [Read more...]
Mission:Dignity aids ‘folks like us’
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mission:Dignity Sunday is June 26 in the Southern Baptist Convention in support of GuideStone Financial Resources’ benevolence ministry for retired pastors or their widows. TOCCOA, Ga. (BP) -- After 45 years of ministry, Reginald and Claudia Pressley retired much the way they began -- serving small churches in the Southeast. They were there for births, baptisms, weddings and funerals as they marked the milestones and the passage of time in the lives of their members. And … [Read more...]
Should adulterous pastors be banned?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Half of Protestant pastors say their colleagues should step down from the pulpit for a time if they are accused of misconduct. Most say such accusations should be kept in confidence until proven. And few think pastors who commit adultery should be permanently banned from ministry. Those are among the findings of a new telephone survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. “Pastors believe church leaders should be held to high … [Read more...]
Joy abounds from behind mask in viral video
DALLAS (Christian Examiner) – The non-stop hysterical laughter is so contagious it has people all over the world – an estimated 48 million or so – watching the 30-something woman in a Star Wars Chewbacca mask wondering how a kid’s toy could bring such joy. Candace Payne, whose May 19 viral Facebook video about purchasing the mask at a local department store and trying it on for the first time inside her car in the parking lot, has the attention not only of avid Star Wars fans, but also of … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptist University’s Title IX exemption at risk
ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist University’s application for exemption from Title IX has been questioned by the U.S. Department of Education because of the actions it took in 2001 to separate from the Missouri Baptist Convention. Religious schools and colleges may request an exemption from Title IX if they hold sincere religious convictions about sex or gender and if the school is owned and controlled by a church or religious denomination. In a January 4, 2016, letter from the Department’s … [Read more...]
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