Engagement with Muslims, not fear, is authors’ aim
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP)—Fear, distrust and even anger can rise to the surface when Christians think about Islam and Muslims, stemming from tragic events like 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing and the mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. Islam seems like an outsider in today’s North America, yet as Christians look around, more and more of their neighbors are Muslim. It’s a tension Keith Whitfield and Micah Fries address in...
Philippine seminary uses adjunct professors
Southern Philippines Seminary (SPBTS) in Davao is seeking to train tomorrow’s Christian innovators today by bringing educated pastors from Oklahoma to the school in the next three years to teach one week D.Min.-type courses to the M.Div. students. This is a bold move for a small school seeking to be more relevant. These courses will be enough to bring many of the pastors in the southern province of Mindanao to their desired goal of an...
Owasso, First focuses on making workplace a mission field
Owasso—Mission Trips are sometimes referred to as the “discipleship microwave” by ministry leaders because the people who go on mission trips often experience life-changing spiritual growth. But a new ministry sponsored in part by Owasso, First hopes to help Christians experience mission trip life transformation close to home—or rather, the office. Owasso, First is partnering with an innovative marketplace initiative led by one of...
Chitwood to be installed as IMB president Feb. 6
RICHMOND, Va.(BP) — The International Mission Board will install Paul Chitwood formally as its 13th president on Feb. 6 at Grove Avenue Baptist Church in Richmond, Va. The public is invited to attend the installation service, which will include a Sending Celebration honoring the appointment of 19 new Southern Baptist international missionaries. The IMB’s board of trustees unanimously elected Chitwood, 48, as...
OU BCM & Okla. Baptist DR provide relief during Christmas break
PANAMA CITY, Fla.—Over the winter break from school, 40 students and leaders representing the University of Oklahoma (OU) Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) traveled to Panama City, Fla. to serve alongside Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) trained and equipped volunteers. Since Hurricane Michael hit the east coast last October, DR has served homeowners by clearing downed trees and assisting with post-hurricane damage. Denny...
Church dropout rate among young adults studied
NASHVILLE (BP) — Church pews may be full of teenagers, but a study released Tuesday (Jan. 15) suggests college students might be a much rarer sight on Sunday mornings. Two-thirds (66 percent) of American young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22, according to a study from LifeWay Research. Thirty-four...
