SBC Archives - Baptist & Reflector

SO. BAPTISTS RESPOND TO ‘HORRIFIC’ ACTS OF VIOLENCE

August 7, 2019

By Grace Thornton
Baptist Press

EL PASO, Texas — As two mass shootings over the weekend brought the total to three such tragedies in just over a week, Baptists prayed, met needs and called for an urgent look at how white supremacy can “fuel” violence.

The shootings — all committed by young men — took the lives of 34 people across three cities. In El Paso, Texas, a 21-year-old man is in custody after a shooting in a Walmart left 22 people dead and 26 others injured on Saturday (Aug. 3). Then early Sunday morning (Aug. 4), a 24-year old gunman killed nine in a nightlife district of Dayton, Ohio. [Read more…]

CHURCHGOERS HOLD CONFLICTING VIEWS ON THE NEED FOR OTHER CHRISTIANS

August 7, 2019

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay Christian Resources.

NASHVILLE — Protestant churchgoers say they can walk with God just fine by themselves, but they also say they need other believers to help them do it.

A LifeWay Research survey sponsored by the Center for Church Revitalization at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary finds majorities of those who attend U.S. Protestant or non-denominational churches at least monthly agree with the two sentiments that are seemingly in conflict. [Read more…]

SBC ELECTS TENNESSEAN AS CHAIR OF CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE

August 6, 2019

Baptist Press

Stacy Bramlett

NASHVILLE — The Credentials Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention held an organizational meeting July 22 by video conferencing, electing Stacy Bramlett of Tennessee as its chair.

The nine-member Credentials Committee was repurposed during the SBC’s 2019 annual meeting into a standing committee to make inquiries and recommendations for action regarding instances of sexual abuse, racism or other issues that call a church’s relationship with the SBC into question.

Bramlett, senior vice president of Independent Bank in Collierville, Tenn., has been a member of the SBC Executive Committee since 2016, serving as the EC’s secretary from 2017-2019. [Read more…]

LIFEWAY TO FREEZE PENSION PLAN FOR PENSION-ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES

July 31, 2019

By Lonnie Wilkey and Chris Turner
Baptist and Reflector

NASHVILLE — Despite concerns and rumors, current retirees of LifeWay Christian Resources over the age of 65 are not losing their pensions or medical benefits. However, the Nashville-based, publishing division of the Southern Baptist Convention will freeze its LifeWay Pension Plan effective Jan. 1, 2020 for current pension-eligible employees.

LifeWay Christian Resources announced changes to its retiree life insurance and pre-65 retiree medical benefits beginning Jan. 1, 2020. Most of the changes affect current employees and those who retired before age 65. LifeWay shared the changes in letters to current and future retirees on June 29. The changes were approved by LifeWay trustees at their February meeting. [Read more…]

ARKANSAS JUDGE STALLS ABORTION LAWS

July 25, 2019

By Rachel Lynn Aldrich
WORLD

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A federal judge in Arkansas blocked three new laws just before midnight Tuesday (July 23) that would protect unborn babies in the state.

U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker’s 14-day temporary restraining order stopped the laws from taking effect on Wednesday (July 24). The measures would have protected unborn babies after 18 weeks of pregnancy, required abortionists to be board-certified or board-eligible in obstetrics and gynecology, and protected babies who were diagnosed with Down syndrome in the womb. [Read more…]

HENARD TO TRANSITION FROM W.VA. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

July 18, 2019

By Baptist Press staff

Bill Henard

SCOTT DEPOT, W.Va. — William D. “Bill” Henard, executive director-treasurer of the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists since 2015, has accepted a call to pastor First Baptist Church in Athens, Tenn., the convention reported in a July 17 news release.

In a letter to the administrative committee of the convention’s Executive Board, Henard stated, “I have made the decision that it is time for me to return to the pastorate. It has not been an easy decision but one to which I believe God has led me.” [Read more…]

RESEARCH FINDS CHURCHGOERS DEMONSTRATE DEEP FAITH BUT HAVE ROOM TO GROW

July 17, 2019

By Carol Pipes
LifeWay Christian Resources

NASHVILLE — When it comes to trusting God, Protestant churchgoers exercise a great deal of faith in their daily lives—whether in difficult circumstances or when the unexplainable happens.

The 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found 7 in 10 (72%) Protestant churchgoers disagree with the statement: “During difficult circumstances, I sometimes doubt that God loves me and will provide for my life,” with 50% strongly disagreeing. [Read more…]

JOYCE ROGERS REFLECTS ON HER HUSBAND’S LEGACY, SBC

July 15, 2019

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

Joyce Rogers, shown with her late husband Adrian Rogers at his 2005 retirement from the pastorate of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, would like the Southern Baptist Convention to continue referencing the Word of God as inerrant. — BP file photo

NASHVILLE — Forty years after Adrian Rogers began leading the Southern Baptist Convention in the Conservative Resurgence promoting a doctrine of biblical inerrancy, his widow, Joyce Rogers, now 85, still hopes the best for the SBC.

“I would hope that they would keep the Word of God in the center of their belief (and continue) in the inerrancy of the Word of God,” she told Baptist Press during a telephone interview June 28 while waiting on a doctor’s appointment. “My husband really was the one that fought for that, and I was there sitting by his side through all of that, and was always so proud of that. [Read more…]

EXPERIENCE IS THE PATH TO EXPERTISE

July 11, 2019

Parents of special needs children know there is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to everyday challenges

By Laura Hurd
Baptist Press

Our son is five years old. He has autism spectrum disorder.

The Mayo Clinic defines autism as “a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. The term ‘spectrum’ in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity.” [Read more…]

ASBP IS THE ‘TIE THAT BINDS’

July 10, 2019

Tim Yarbrough, 2018–2019 ASBP president, left, passes the gavel to David Williams, who serves as president for 2019–2020.
-Photo by Caleb Yarbrough.

Established in 1895 as the Southern Baptist Press Association, today’s Association of State Baptist Publications (ASBP) is the “tie that binds,” said Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist and Reflector.

“The ASBP provides a forum for editors and staff of papers to bond, share ideas and hopefully develop methods and strategies to help our papers not only survive but thrive in the future,” he said. “More importantly the camaraderie and fellowship renew my spirit and desire to continue telling the stories of our churches and Baptists in Tennessee.” [Read more…]

Parents of special needs children know there is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to everyday challenges

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