By Matt Capps, Pastor, Fairview Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC RALEIGH, N.C. (BP) -- Have you ever heard someone in your church dismissively say, "Theology isn't for me" or "I don't think theology is important; we just need to love Jesus and love people"? While I understand the sentiment behind these statements, as a pastor it grieves me. Though many people in the church see theology as an abstract academic discipline with no bearing on the day-to-day Christian life, theology is inescapable. Simply put, every Christian is a theologian. Every Christian, by definition, knows God, thinks about God and makes statements about God. The very word "theology" means a word (logos) about God (theos). Christian theology is simply talking about God in a distinctly Christian way based on the Scriptures. And if everyone is a theologian, the central question becomes: Is his or her theology distinctly Christian? Recent findings give cause for concern. True theology points to God LifeWay Research recently studied the theological knowledge of 3,000 adult Americans. The study focused on key theological areas of the faith and revealed several areas where many Americans differ from historic, orthodox Christianity. Almost half (45 … [Read more...]
Sunrise CEO: Appeals court ruling a ‘win’
By Robin Cornetet, Kentucky Today MOUNT WASHINGTON, Ky. (BP) -- The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has sent a case involving a Kentucky Baptist children's ministry back to federal district court for further review in a move the group's chief executive officer describes as a win for the non-profit ministry that serves hundreds of abused and neglected kids. "This case has been going on for 16 years and Sunrise is ready to turn the page," Dale Suttles, chief executive officer of Sunrise Children's Services, said. "We have 750 kids who have faced some of the most terrible things imaginable. We need to focus instead on making a difference in their lives." A three-judge Sixth Circuit panel, in a 2-1 decision, vacated a 2013 ruling singling out Sunrise for monitoring by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Americans United for Separation of Church and State Oct. 6. The panel questioned whether the 15-page settlement, agreed to by the plaintiffs and the state, but not Sunrise, was fair. Sunrise attorney John Sheller argued in the appeal that the burden of extra scrutiny by the ACLU and Americans United imposes unique reputational harm. The Sixth Circuit judges did not indicate whether the lower court's ruling was … [Read more...]
Church of Lucifer to open in the heart of Bible Belt
By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner SPRING, Texas (Christian Examiner) – The first "Greater Church of Lucifer" will open later this month in a Houston suburb and just in time for Halloween, organizers of the venture have said. According to organizer "Jacob No," a nom du guerre, the church will open in an aged house in Old Town Spring to offer people a different kind of "church experience." "We do not have a preacher. We do not have somebody saying this is the way it has to be, that you have to live this way," No told Houston's KPRC, but without facing the camera. "We're giving a platform for people to explore themselves with ultimate freedom, to be able to look in the mirror and say I understand you better." The church insists it is not a Satanist church – that is, a church that worships Satan – because they are imitating, rather than worshipping Lucifer, the traditional name ascribed to the angel that rebelled against God and took a third of the angels with him. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]
Luter challenges worshippers to read Bible, follow its rules at National African American Fellowship Kingdom Symposium
By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press PHILADELPHIA (BP) -- Christians can lead holy lives by the same power the Apostle Paul called on in his struggle between the flesh and the Spirit recorded in Romans 7, immediate past Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter told worshippers at a Philadelphia gathering of black Southern Baptist pastors and leaders. "The reason Southern Baptists … I am convinced that we can win this battle is because of this fact. You're not fighting this battle on your own. You're not fighting this battle under your own strength," Luter said in the Sept. 30 keynote sermon of the National African American Fellowship Kingdom Symposium at Nazarene Baptist Church. "The reason we can win this battle … is because of the Jesus that's in you, because of the power of Christ that is in you." Luter's sermon, "The Super Bowl for Your Soul," capped presentations by seven other pastors and denominational leaders at the event hosted by NAAF president and Nazarene Baptist Church Pastor K. Marshall Williams Sept. 29–30 at the church in the historic Germantown community. "Living Holy and Clean in 2015: What shall we say to these things?" was the symposium theme. "The enemy is after your mind, your marriage, your … [Read more...]
EXCLUSIVE: Football coach says he will defy school’s prayer ban
By Todd Starnes, Fox News BREMERTON, Wash. (Christian Examiner) - There's a scene in the great football film "Facing the Giants" when the coach decides to implement a new coaching philosophy – to praise God no matter what the result. Joe Kennedy, a football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington, was so inspired by the film he decided to embrace that philosophy – knowing that to do so could cost him his job. I'll explain why in just a few more paragraphs. Kennedy, a Desert Storm and Desert Shield combat veteran, made national headlines in September after the Bremerton School District launched an investigation into his post-game prayer. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]
Macel Falwell, Jerry Falwell’s wife, dies at 82
By Joni B Hannigan, Christian Examiner LYNCHBURG, Va. (Christian Examiner) - Macel Pate Falwell, 82, who described herself as "a prim and proper lady who'd been raised in the arms of a protective Christian family" before marrying Jerry Falwell, has died. The Falwells were married April 12, 1958, and were married for 49 years. The Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, died in 2007. They are survived by two sons and a daughter: Jerry Falwell Jr., Jonathan Falwell, and Jeannie Falwell Savas -- and their families. A memorial page appears on the website of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia today. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]
U.S. int’l religious freedom interest downgraded to special ‘advisor’ from ‘envoy’
By Kelly Ledbetter, Christian Examiner WASHINGTON (Christian Examiner) - International religious freedom now has its own "special advisor" -- which reports to an ambassador, rather than a "special envoy" which reports to the Secretary of State, the White House has announced. And Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) is challenging how that approach to key U.S. foreign policy objectives works -- especially since the "special envoy" position has been vacant for a while. "The Administration has taken the position that 'promoting and protecting religious freedom is a key objective of U.S. foreign policy,'" the senator wrote in an open letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, "yet the Ambassador-at-Large for religious freedom is buried in layers of bureaucracy rather than reporting directly to you like the Ambassadors-at-Large for the Office of Global Women's Issues and the Office of Global AIDS Coordinator." A special envoy reports directly to Secretary Kerry, while a special advisor may report to an envoy or ambassador. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]
REVIEW: ‘Woodlawn’ tackles racism & revival in the Red Zone
By Michael Foust, Christian Examiner HOLLYWOOD (Christian Examiner) - The best sports movies aren't even about sports. Instead, the best sports movies use sports as a backdrop to tell the story of something far more significant and important, something that even non-sports fans can embrace. Such is the case with "Woodlawn" (PG), which hits theaters this weekend and recounts the true story of a newly integrated high school football team in Birmingham, Ala., that is the source of racial tension until most of the players accept Christ and spark a city-wide revival. Set in the early 1970s, "Woodlawn" is the best sports movie I've ever seen, although that label really doesn't do it justice. That's because it's simply a great movie – even without the sports – and it's among the most inspiring and uplifting films I've watched. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]
‘Woodlawn’ star: Movie ‘timely’ in wake of Ferguson & Baltimore riots
By Michael Foust, Christian Examiner TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (Christian Examiner) – Caleb Castille, the lead actor in the new movie "Woodlawn," is accustomed to the audibles and last-second changes that make football so fun, having played the sport himself in college and having watched his father and two of his brothers join NFL teams. But even he was a little surprised by the "audible" that Woodlawn's moviemakers tossed at him less than a week prior to the first day of filming. Castille was set to be a stunt double for the lead actor in the film when the lead actor pulled out. Soon, Castille got a life-changing phone call. "Three days before production they called and said, 'We're looking at a few new guys and you're one of them.' So I went back through a three-day audition process and at the end of those three days, I was the one," Castille said. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]
More Canaanite evidence found by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary dig team
By Gary D. Myers, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary communications KARMEI YOSEF, Israel (BP) - Added evidence that an ancient water system at Tel Gezer in Israel could be the product of Middle Bronze Age Canaanites living between the time of Abraham and the Israelite conquest was uncovered by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's archaeology team during a challenging dig season this summer. The Bible provides a tantalizing parallel to the Gezer system in the accounts of King David. In 2 Samuel 5:6-9, David's men utilized a "water shaft" to invade and conquer the fortress of Zion/Jerusalem. This rock-hewn system has been located in Jerusalem's "City of David" area. Visitors can walk the entire length of that Canaanite system. Based on all the available data, Dan Warner, co-director of the NOBTS Gezer dig, believes the City of David tunnel and the Gezer system are both products of the Middle Bronze Age. The Gezer water system excavation is a joint project of the Moskau Institute for Archaeology at NOBTS and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA). The dig is co-directed by Dan Warner, an NOBTS professor, and INPA chief archaeologist Tsvika Tsuk. Jim Parker, NOBTS professor and executive director of the … [Read more...]
