News

Ten lessons from the most effective churches
By J. Gerald Harris, Editor
Published July 3, 2008

The number of people baptized in Southern Baptist churches fell in 2007 for the third year in a row. The 345,941 people baptized last year represented a five percent decline over the number baptized in 2006 and was also the lowest number to be baptized since 1987.

Will your student go to a college that has a Biblical worldview?
By J. Gerald Harris, Editor
Published July 3, 2008

Everyone has a worldview. A worldview is a set of presuppositions and beliefs that someone uses to interpret and form opinions about his morals, purpose in life, interpretation of truth, view of social issues, etc.

Mudding out a major part of Midwest disaster relief effort
By Mickey Noah
Published July 3, 2008

Disaster relief mud-out work inside a flooded home is dirty work. The stench of mold and rotting food can be unbearable. Even so, crews of Southern Baptist men and women are on site following the devastating floods in the Midwest.

Pakistan's kite ban pits Islam against popular tradition
By James Palmer, c. 2008 Religion News Service
Published July 3, 2008

Iqbal Aslam and four buddies meandered through the narrow alleyways.

Alma Hunt, longtime WMU leader, dies
By Noel Forlini & Julie Walters
Published July 3, 2008

Alma Hunt, a passionate leader who served as Woman’s Missionary Union executive secretary for 26 years, died June 14. She was 98.

CBF presenter questions Christ's deity at General Assembly
By David Roach
Published July 3, 2008

Salvation once meant belief in a series of doctrines about Christ, but the advance of society has caused it to become a quest for self-fulfillment, John Killinger said June 19 in a workshop at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Memphis, Tenn.

When missionaries go to the doctor
Cooperative Program gifts keep missionaries healthy while on the field
By Don Graham, International Mission Board
Published July 3, 2008

Lying in a hospital bed overseas in October – for the second time this year – I wondered what I had done to deserve, first, a bout of food poisoning and, now, an aching appendix.

Campers exchange hot dogs and hamburgers for chipati, jalfrez ... if only for a day
By Joe Westbury, Managing Editor
Published July 3, 2008

Ally Mabry of Fayetteville is used to eating hot dogs and hamburgers at summer camp but one day in late June she found herself sitting cross-legged on the floor and eating traditional Indian food.

Summer fun mixes with Bible study at Camp Kaleo
By Joe Westbury, Managing Editor
Published July 3, 2008

Camp Kaleo campers are used to making friends from distant regions of the state during their week at the central Georgia facility, but this year they are getting to know characters from thousands of miles away.

Kindling hope among Mexico City's homeless
By Erich Bridges
Published July 3, 2008

The police were standing around a grimy box on a street in Mexico City.

Royals' Hillman holds on to faith
By Allen Palmeri
Published July 3, 2008

The new manager of the Kansas City Royals is a Southern Baptist who has been walking with the Lord for more than three decades.

Son: Falwell's pro-life goal close to reality
By Michael Foust
Published July 3, 2008

For the first time since social conservatives helped send Ronald Reagan to the White House in the early 1980s, Jerry Falwell will not be around for a presidential election.

Hotel offers pool for Second Memorial Perry baptism
By Scott Barkley, Production Editor
Published July 3, 2008

Given the way Ann Duffell gets to services each Sunday at Second Memorial Baptist Church, it was only fitting her baptism had the same hint of determination.

You've got [spiritual spam] mail
By Kristen Campbell, c. 2008 Religion News Service
Published July 3, 2008

The messages are simple enough.

Slow sales force closure of LifeWay's downtown location
By Joe Westbury, Managing Editor
Published July 3, 2008

LifeWay Christian Resources will close its only bookstore in Atlanta July 12. The store was opened in November 2006 to maintain a downtown presence but failed to realize a profit for that location at the revitalized Lindbergh Plaza Shopping Center on Piedmont Road.

Illusion, ventriloquism used to share the gospel
Published July 3, 2008

Georgia Baptists use a variety of ways to share their faith, and magic and comedy are two of the more innovative approaches that quickly engage audiences of all ages. Two Georgia Baptist illusionists use their skills to weave the message of redemption into their gospel presentations.

Georgia NewsBriefs

Contract approved for Shorter president
Published July 3, 2008

The Executive Committee of Shorter College’s Board of Trustees voted June 20 to accept Harold Newman’s new contract as president of the school. The four-year agreement went into effect July 1.

Mileage rates increased by IRS
Published July 3, 2008

The Internal Revenue Service announced June 23 an increase in the optional standard mileage rates for the final six months of 2008.

Atlanta pastor named VP of Korean group
Published July 3, 2008

Sin K. Baik, pastor of Atlanta New Way Baptist Church in Marietta, became first vice president of the Council of Korean Baptist Churches in America during the group’s meeting June 16-19.

Baptist News Summary

F.A.I.T.H. Riders' numbers grow
Published July 3, 2008

F.A.I.T.H. Riders has grown to 54 chapters in 10 states since its launch in February 2002 in Lakeland, Fla., at First Baptist Church at the Mall.

Southeastern professor withdraws from ethics society for its 'honoring of sin'
Published July 3, 2008

Southeastern Seminary ethics professor Daniel Heimbach has withdrawn his membership from the Society of Christian Ethics after the group took a stand in what he calls “honoring sin over Scripture” regarding homosexuality.

Hefley papers archived at Southern Seminary
Published July 3, 2008

The research files of the first key chronicler of the Southern Baptist Convention’s conservative resurgence have found a home at Southern Seminary.

Religious NewsBriefs

World's oldest church believed found in Jordan
Published July 3, 2008

Archaeologists excavating in Jordan believe they may have uncovered the world’s oldest church.

Report: Judaism faces gender imbalance 'crisis'
Published July 3, 2008

Non-Orthodox Jewish men are becoming alienated from their faith, a “crisis” that foreshadows a rise in interfaith marriages and secular generations, according to a new study from Brandeis University.

News anchor becomes full-time pastor
Published July 3, 2008

After 12 years at WCNC-TV in Charlotte, N.C., Chris Justice left his post as evening news anchor earlier this year in order to devote his attention to pastoring Lee Park Baptist Church in Monroe, a Southern Baptist congregation he helped grow from 50 to more than 500 people while serving as the church’s part-time pastor for two years.

People and Places

Obituaries
Published July 3, 2008

Ordinations
Published July 3, 2008

Retirements
Published July 3, 2008

Staff additions
Published July 3, 2008

Ministerial Moves
Published July 3, 2008

Cooperative Program Stories

A good feeling for the future
Bible drill, speaker’s tournament participants set a high standard
By Sherri Brown, Communications, GBC
Published July 3, 2008

A second chance changed Laura Meinschein’s life – and telling about it brought her high honors in the national student speaker’s tournament competition.

Bible Study

What about the Antichrist?
By John Tarwater, Former assistant professor of Christian Studies, Truett-McConnell College
Published July 3, 2008

Rev. 13:1-10; 16-17
Related Sunday School Lesson Bible Studies for Life, July 13

What's Up with Christ Coming Down?
By John Tarwater, Former assistant professor of Christian Studies, Truett-McConnell College
Published July 3, 2008

Rev. 19:6-9; 11-16, 19-21
Related Sunday School Lesson Bible Studies for Life, July 20

Columns

Some pastors become Universalists at funerals
By J. Gerald Harris, Editor
Published July 3, 2008

As a pastor for many years I discovered there were certain things that were extremely difficult to do. It was difficult when I had to tell young women (or men) in the churches I served that I could not perform their wedding if they insisted on marrying an unbeliever (I Cor. 6:14).

Making your pocketbook sick
By Tamara Quintana
Published July 3, 2008

Unhealthy lifestyle choices can reduce your quality of life, but they can also drain your bank account. From obvious costs to more subtle ones, the price tag of an unhealthy lifestyle can put your financial well-being at risk.

The Open Door
By J. Robert White, Executive Director, GBC
Published July 3, 2008

In a recent Baptist Press article, Dr. Jerry Rankin, president of the International Mission Board, reported on the 2007 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. In case you did not see the article, I want to share some of the highlights.

Spanking is responsible discipline for unruly children
By James Dobson
Published July 3, 2008