Federal memo on religious freedom draws praiseOctober 10, 2017 by Tom Strode, Baptist Press | |
Southern Baptist and other religious freedom defenders have hailed the Trump administration’s new guidelines to safeguard in federal law the free exercise of religion. READ MORE |
Clergy housing allowance struck down againOctober 10, 2017 by Seth Brown, BR Content Editor | |
A district judge decided Oct. 6 that an income tax exemption for clergy housing is unconstitutional because it favors religious employees over similarly situated secular employees. READ MORE |
Pitman to Las Vegas: 'Run to God'October 10, 2017 by Joe Westbury, The Christian Index | |
When Vance Pitman stood before the Hope Church congregation in Las Vegas Sunday morning, he looked over a group of people who had been forever changed in a matter of days. READ MORE |
Social media coaching now available from LifeWayOctober 10, 2017 by Aaron Wilson, LifeWay Christian Resources | |
LifeWay Christian Resources recently launched an online coaching service to help Christians manage social media and other digital platforms from a biblical perspective. READ MORE |
OTHER BR NEWS |
San Juan pastor serves meals, gospel after Maria
New rules grant conscience win over abortion mandate
COLUMN: How to find a pastor
More volunteer doors opening in Puerto Rico
9Marks conference at SEBTS focuses on church leadership
K. Allan Blume BR Editor | Gospel conversations There are many ways to reach people. Jesus touched lives through face-to-face conversations, public teaching and social gatherings such as weddings or dinners. Today all of these avenues of contact are available to us. But we also have options to use tools that did not exist in the first century. We are able to spread the message of the gospel through printed materials, radio, television, telephone (millennial translation: cell phone), internet, social media, texts and roadside billboards. With all of these tools, we should be able to tell the world that Jesus loves them, died for them, resurrected from the dead for them and will forgive them. But we’re obviously not getting the job done. Maybe some of these new tools that we have should be set aside in favor of simple gospel conversations. We don’t talk about Jesus as freely as we could. So, the North American Mission Board is offering some help with our gospel conversations. Recently we posted a story on BRnow.org about the new web site, gcchallenge.com, that includes the "Gospel Conversation Pledge." Pastors are encouraged to sign the pledge, committing the number of gospel conversations their church will have between now and June 2018. There is also a place to record and upload a "GC60" video, where people can share about their most recent gospel conversation. A prayer guide and additional resources are also available. Are you joining your fellow North Carolina pastors and lay leaders for the annual meeting in Greensboro? The time is approaching. I hope to see you at the Koury Convention Center, November 5-7 for the Pastor’s Conference and the annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Plan to visit the Biblical Recorder’s booth in the exhibit hall. We look forward to seeing you! People need to know! |