GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) – John’s prologue in the Gospels is my favorite Christmas passage, showing us in theological outline what happened in Bethlehem’s stable. We know that Jesus is “the Word,” the light that shines in the darkness. With somber joy we read that “the darkness did not overcome it.” I thought of that passage as I’ve considered the darkness manifested at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs Nov. 5. As I write this, hours after the event, pundits are talking in the … [Read more...]
Grieving, praying for Sutherland Springs
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas – Missouri and Southern Baptist leaders expressed broken hearts and prayerful pleas as they reacted to the news of a Nov. 5 shooting that killed 26 and injured 20 at First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas. “Our words fail to express the sorrow we feel for this church family and their pastor,” said John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention. “Their depth of grief is unimaginable. Such slaughter compels us to keep our focus on the … [Read more...]
MBTS’s Allen celebrates five years
KANSAS CITY – Amid a grand celebration of Jason Allen's fifth anniversary as Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's president, trustees, friends and the seminary community gathered Oct. 16 to mark the occasion and praise God for Allen's accomplishments during that tenure. Additionally, trustees approved a campus renovation project and received news of record enrollment, faculty re-elections and promotions. Following a full day of trustee work sessions and committee meetings, the … [Read more...]
America dangerously downplaying sin
Given recent events in Las Vegas, New York and now Sutherland Springs, Texas, we ought to ask ourselves if we are ignoring the seriousness – and inevitable consequences – of sin. It seems the instances of sin preached from America’s pulpits are too few, particularly among mainline churches. The prosperity gospel reigns. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” a sermon that triggered a national revival, is relegated to antiquity while human relational adjustment dynamics is all the rage. … [Read more...]
TX shooting: NAMB offers to cover funeral costs, SBC leaders to visit grieving pastor, church
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (BP) -- Southern Baptists ministering in the wake of what some have called the deadliest church shooting in U.S. history say they've witnessed "God at work" despite the 26 dead and some 20 others wounded at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Local pastors and field personnel with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) began providing grief counseling within hours of the shooting at First Baptist's morning worship service Nov. 5. … [Read more...]
‘Warm little ponds:’ Flawed hypothesis attempts to explain how life began on Earth
(WNS) – Evolutionary scientists at McMaster University and the Max Planck Institute in Germany recently developed a theoretical model to explain how life began on Earth, according to them, some 3.7 billion to 4.5 billion years ago. But Stephen Meyer, a geophysicist and director of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, pointed out numerous holes in the so-called “warm little ponds theory.” The theory, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, claims … [Read more...]
Record set for Annie Armstrong Easter Offering in 2016-17
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – On Oct. 19 NAMB announced the largest Annie Armstrong Easter Offering in history. The total given in the 2016-17 budget year (Oct-Sept) came to $59.6 million. This total eclipses the previous record of $59,463,281 given in 2007 as well as the 2016 amount of $58,860,553. The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® for North American missions has been an annual offering benefitting missionaries and their work of sharing the life-transforming gospel of Jesus Christ since 1895. … [Read more...]
Midwestern adds Spanish-speaking master’s program
KANSAS CITY (MBTS) – Expecting a significant need arising within the Southern Baptist Convention for Spanish-speaking pastors and ministry leaders, Midwestern Seminary added two Spanish language master’s degrees designed to prepare leaders for pastoral ministry and post-graduate study. Beginning with its pilot “Leadership Practicum” course at the 2017 For the Church Conference on Midwestern Seminary’s Kansas City campus, the school expanded the reach and accessibility of affordable … [Read more...]
Less hashtaggery, more Spirit-connectivity
One of the funniest things on the planet was when I used to say something super Internetty-savvy and ultra-cool to my then teenage kids. I’d be all hashtaggy and super-swaggy until they would cancel all their social media accounts and pack their bags like they were moving in with the neighbors. The techy-like conversations still happen these days but they’re kind of different. I was talking to a teenager the other day and told her we used to have to take our pictures on cameras that … [Read more...]
Tragedy in TX: 26 killed in So. Bapt. church shooting
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (BP) --- The 14-year-old daughter of a Southern Baptist pastor was reportedly among 26 people killed when an armed man opened fire during Sunday morning (Nov. 5) worship services at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, a congregation about 35 miles southeast of San Antonio. The pastor, Frank Pomeroy, and his wife were both out of town when the attack occurred, said Mitch Kolenovsky, a field ministry strategist with the Southern Baptists of Texas … [Read more...]
What would Martin Luther watch (and read)?
God’s Outlaw: The Story of William Tyndale In the early 1520s, English priest and scholar William Tyndale declared that – should God spare his life – he would enable even the lowly ploughboy to read Scripture in the English language. As a result, he became one of the most wanted men in England. This 1986 film, starring Roger Rees, retells the story of Tyndale’s single-minded effort to translate the Bible into English, forcing him into exile and putting him at odds with the powers that … [Read more...]
Apple removes pro-life prayer app
(WNS) – Tech giant Apple removed a pro-life prayer app from its App Store following backlash from pro-abortion advocates, another example of bias against Christian groups. Human Coalition’s app, still available on the Google Play Store, displays a list of prayer requests, such as, “Someone considering abortion in Dallas, Texas.” When users signal with a swipe of their thumb that they’ve prayed for the situation, the app updates a daily tally of prayers. The group said Apple removed … [Read more...]
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