Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preaches on selflessness at Baptist church

From RNS-

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry spent the evening of Ash Wednesday at a Baptist church, preaching a Lenten message focused on love and selflessness.

“When love breaks out, we all get set free,” he said to an applauding crowd gathered at Harvest Assembly Baptist Church.

The bishop, who preached on the importance of love at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last year in a sermon watched by some 29 million people, continued that theme across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital.

“Imagine the White House — help me, Jesus,” he preached, “imagine the White House, the United Nations, the nations of the world if love was the law of our hearts and our land.”

He noted that in the New Testament passage from 1 Corinthians, often cited in weddings, that speaks of “faith, hope and love,” the Apostle Paul also warns that love “is not selfish.”

More here-

https://religionnews.com/2019/03/07/episcopal-presiding-bishop-michael-curry-preaches-on-selflessness-at-baptist-church/

3 words for the church in 2019: ‘we were wrong’

From Baptist News-


As we look toward new year’s resolutions, my hope is that the Christian church might be able to utter just three simple words in 2019. These are words that would change the course of history, foster civil dialogue and perhaps even bring skeptics back into the church. But they are hard words to say: “We were wrong.”

There are many things the church universal and churches more specifically might – or should – admit we were wrong about. But admitting any error does not fall easily from the lips of religious folk – ironically, the very people who want others to confess their sins and turn from their wicked ways.

Too much of Christianity is built upon absolute certainty and not enough on divine mystery. I’m reminded of one prominent Southern Baptist pastor who assuredly declared that he had not changed his mind on anything ever. And I’m haunted by the words of an older adult friend who struggled with our church’s decision two years ago to be fully inclusive of LGBTQ Christians. After hearing a presentation on various ways to understand Scripture, he said: “You’re asking me to say that what I learned about the Bible from my parents and grandparents was wrong on this issue. And if I say they were wrong about this thing, then I have to ask what else they were wrong about. I just can’t do that.”

More here-

https://baptistnews.com/article/3-words-for-the-church-in-2019-we-were-wrong/?fbclid=IwAR1gsNKaZauz6cJ1XSgd1d-6xcK47Hs45Qp35viUcKcrTxkkIBawmR-fOjs#.XC3-j_x7lE7

Baptist News Global editor leaving to become Episcopal priest

From Baptist News-

Robert Dilday, editor-in-chief for Baptist News Global and a Baptist journalist for 35 years, is stepping down to become an Episcopal priest. His last official day on the job will be June 5.

Dilday, 62, was managing editor at the Religious Herald in Richmond, Va., 27 years before a 2014 merger with the news service Associated Baptist Press that formed BNG, an independent, faith-based news organization providing original and curated news, opinion and analysis about matters of faith.

Son of one-time Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Russell Dilday, he was confirmed as an Episcopalian in 2016. He explained he did not set out to join the clergy, but after feeling a tug in that direction he entered the structured process for discerning a call in the Episcopal Church in February 2017.

He recently was approved for postulancy, a necessary step toward ordination, which includes service in a parish and a year in an Episcopal seminary.

More here-

https://baptistnews.com/article/baptist-news-global-editor-leaving-to-become-episcopal-priest/#.WxKJO2WowhY

Churches must improve treatment of singles or risk losing them, author says

From Baptist News-

It’s high time churches wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to the single adults in their pews – and for the even bigger number of singles who aren’t there.

That’s a message Gina Dalfonzo, author of the 2017 book One by One: Welcoming the Singles in Your Church, is busily and urgently sharing with media outlets, pastors, laypeople and anyone else who will listen.

Just look at the numbers provided in recent surveys, she says. The Pew Research Center found that the number of married Americans is at its lowest point — about 50 percent — since 1920. Meanwhile the Barna Group reported that 23 percent of active churchgoers are single.

Yet, church-going singles consistently report feeling like second-class citizens in their own sanctuaries.

“The question is what are churches going to do about that?” said Dalfonzo, editor of BreakPoint, a project of The Colson Center for Christian Worldview.

More here-

https://baptistnews.com/article/churches-must-improve-treatment-singles-risk-losing-author-says/#.WYKID2N5chb

Pastor offers 'gentle rebuke' for Baptist editor who wrote religious liberty is not for Muslims

From Christian Examiner-

A Southern Baptist pastor and seminary trustee is asking the editor of America's oldest religious newspaper to retract an editorial in which he claimed Muslims are not deserving of the same religious liberty afforded to others under the U.S. Constitution.

Gerald Harris, editor of Georgia's Christian Index, wrote in his editorial June 6 of the various Islamist movements in Iran, Palestine and Iraq, and claimed Islam "may be more of a geo-political movement than a religion."

"So, do Southern Baptists entities need to come to the defense of a geo-political movement that has basically set itself against Western Civilization? Even if Islam is a religion must we commit ourselves to fight for the religious freedom of a movement that aggressively militates against other religions?"

More here-

http://www.christianexaminer.com/article/pastor-offers-gentle-rebuke-for-baptist-editor-who-wrote-religious-liberty-is-not-for-muslims/50780.htm

Kid who stole from church repays money on Christmas Eve - more than 40 years later

From Alabama-

A man who said he stole money from Siluria Baptist Church in Alabaster as a youth decades ago repaid it back with interest on Christmas.

"On Christmas Eve, we had a check in the mail for $1,000," said Pastor Michael Brooks.

The man who sent the check called Brooks last month and told him that when he was a child in the church's Royal Ambassadors youth program, he and some other boys stole money out of a drink machine.

"His conscience kicked in," Brooks said. "He said he'd always felt badly about it."

The theft took place when the man was about 10 years old, more than 40 years ago, Brooks said.

More here-

http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2015/01/kid_who_stole_from_church_repa.html

Virginia church may look Anglican, but it's fully Baptist

From Charlottesville-


Sunday mornings at All Souls Charlottesville are fairly common for an Anglican congregation.

The Book of Common Prayer and the Revised Common Lectionary are standard, creeds are spoken together, the Eucharist is the central focus of the liturgy and the minister blesses the congregation before it scatters back into the world.

But the Charlottesville, Va., congregation isn’t an Episcopal church. It’s Baptist — in fact it’s a plant of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2014.

This isn’t a Baptist church in the Charleston tradition, a structured expression of worship often distinguished from the more revivalistic Sandy Creek tradition. It goes beyond that to include wine in communion and the view by some, including Pastor Winn Collier, that worship and life ought to be expressed sacramentally.

More here-

http://www.abpnews.com/ministry/congregations/item/28506-va-church-is-anglican-leaning-but-fully-baptist#.U0Pewcbzg9X

North Carolina church plans Halloween Bible burning

From The "You Can't Make This Stuff Up Department" (North Carolina Division)

Marc Grizzard, of Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, North Carolina, says that the first King James translation of the Bible is the only true declaration of God’s word, and that all others are “satanic”.

Pastor Grizzard and 14 other members of the church plan to burn copies of the other “perversions” of Scripture on Halloween, 31 October.

The New Revised Version Bible, the American Standard Version Bible, and even the New King James Version are all pronounced to be works of the Devil by Pastor Grizzard and his followers.
Pastor Grizzard said: “I believe the King James version is God’s preserved, inspired, inerrant, infallible word of God… for English-speaking people.

“We are burning books that we believe to be Satanic.”

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/6346662/North-Carolina-church-plans-Halloween-Bible-burning.html

Episcopalian, Baptist churches combine services

From Dayton-

A Baptist church and an Episcopal Church began working together out of necessity, but hope to continue the collaboration.

Members of Christ Episcopal Church, 20 W. First St., and First Baptist Church, 111 Monument Ave., will worship together for about a month.

The Episcopal church is undergoing renovations, and its membership is temporarily displaced. The Baptist church members decided to open their doors.

“The chapel that is adjacent to our entry way was in danger of collapsing,” said the Rev. John Paddock, of Christ Episcopal. “I approached them initially thinking we could hold our services at a different time, but they invited us to join our services with theirs. It has been great and a wonderful learning experience as we explore our various traditions.”

Two examples of how Baptists and Episcopalians differ in their beliefs are baptism and celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

“The Church of England and Anglican churches, including the Episcopal church, are a bridge of sorts,” Paddock said. “Our liturgical practices are very Catholic, whereas our theology is more Protestant.”

More here-

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local/episcopalian-baptist-churches-combine-services/nWQL6/

Sex allegations threaten pastor's empire

From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-

Over the last two decades, Bishop Eddie L. Long has built a religious and financial empire from scratch, transforming a small, faltering church into a modern cathedral with one of the largest and most influential congregations in the country.

Today, Bishop Long's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church includes a multimillion-dollar network of charities and businesses, a private school and the Samson's Health and Fitness Center, where he holds court and pumps iron with young people.

His message that God wants people to prosper has attracted celebrities, professional athletes and socialites, swelling the membership to 25,000. The church hosted four U.S. presidents for the funeral of Coretta Scott King in 2006.

The rapid expansion of the church -- often called "Club New Birth" because it attracts so many young black singles -- has also made Bishop Long a powerful political player, especially in DeKalb County, home to one of the wealthiest black communities in the country. The church has become a mandatory stop for many politicians -- local, state and national -- and Mr. Long supports candidates of both parties.


Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10269/1090447-84.stm#ixzz10dEKvQmi

National Baptists have their man

From the Tri-State Defender

Rev. Julius R. Scruggs of Huntsville, Ala., overwhelmingly was chosen as the next president of the National Baptist Convention during the group’s 129th Annual Convention held in Memphis Sept. 5-11. Rev. Scruggs turned back a high-profile challenge by former president, Rev. Henry Lyons, who was seeking to regain the presidency after having been convicted on charges associated with bilking the church’s corporate partners out of several million dollars.

Rev. Scruggs takes over as president in February. Here is an excerpt from his press conference following his election:

Q: What is going to be your main goal as the new president?”

A: One of our main goals is to strengthen our unification in our convention. We’ve had some splintering from time to time in our convention and we want to bring all groups together in oneness so that we can all gather under one main vision for our convention and move together …to bring that vision to fruition.

And of course to enlarge on that vision and would like to say the following: We would like to build on what (President) Dr. (William) Shaw has already been doing in certain areas. And one of the first areas we would like to build on is to make American Baptist College a greater school. The premier bible college is owned by the national Baptist Convention USA, Inc., and we would like to give it greater support. We would like to help foster the vision of (Dr. Forrest Elliot Harris Sr.,) who is president of the college. One of the things he wants to do is build a student life center, including housing. . .

More here-

http://tri-statedefenderonline.com/articlelive/articles/4167/1/National-Baptists-have-their-man/Page1.html

Jimmy Carter leaves Southern Baptists, backs women in ministry

From Philadelphia-

Here's an instant replay, in case you missed it: after 60 years, former President Jimmy Carter has split with the Southern Baptist Convention over its position on the role of women in the church.

"I personally feel that women should play an absolutely equal role in service of Christ in the church,” Carter told the Atlanta Constitution today.

Carter's decision came about one month after the convention voted against women serving as pastors (the convention met June 23-24). Comments began flowing today. Exact wording of the convention's decision could not be determined. The Convention website does not mention the vote. A story by Charlotte's atheism examiner , which includes a YouTube video of Carter, appeared earlier today.

Carter writes about his decision in an article entitled "Losing My Religion for Equality" on The Age.com website. He plans to continue serving as a deacon in his hometown church in Plains, Ga., and associating with Baptists who share his views.

"My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be 'subservient' to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service." Carter wrote.

More here-

http://www.examiner.com/x-10271-Charlotte-Episcopal-Examiner~y2009m7d21-Jimmy-Carter-leaves-Southern-Baptists-backs-women-in-ministry

Baptism center opens in Jordan

Baptist leaders and other dignitaries -- including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- took part in a ceremony March 20 dedicating a new evangelical Christian baptism center at the Jordanian spot traditionally regarded as the site of Jesus' baptism.

The afternoon celebration at the Baptism Center at Bethany beyond Jordan included more than 120 baptisms by immersion in the Jordan River. They were conducted by pastors from the Jordan Baptist Convention.

Eron Henry, associate director of communications for the Baptist World Alliance, said in a travel blog it is the first time Baptists in Jordan have received such prominent coverage in Jordan's major media outlets.

One of several new churches being built along the Jordan River at about the location Christian pilgrims have long believed Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the center is intended to cater to Christian traditions that practice believer's baptism by immersion.

BWA General Secretary Neville Callam, in the day's major address, called the center "a place where people from all parts of the world may assemble for a journey and an experience." He expressed hope that "the waters of the Jordan extinguish the crippling fires of hopelessness that burn in the hearts of those who have no knowledge of God."

http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3948&Itemid=53

Ten for the History Books from 2008

A Southern Baptist lists the 10 most important news stories (not just religous ones) of 2008. The schism is number 4 here too. (See below for the Catholic take)

4. Controversy in the Episcopal Church leads to schism. Pressures in the Episcopal Church USA reached a breaking point as more congregations and dioceses voted to leave the denomination over its actions and policy positions on homosexuality -- most centrally the election of an openly homosexual bishop in 2003. Several churches had taken refuge under Anglican churches in Africa and the Southern Cone of South America, but as the year came to a close a new Anglican Church in North America had been declared. Court battles over church property continued, but conservatives won a major decision in Virginia in late December.

They're all here-

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/mohler/11597610/