• heritage_tillman_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  Heritage: Baptists need new ethics 'scouts,'
  Tillman tells gathering of historians

  By Ken Camp

  Texas Baptist Communications

  BELTON–Trails blazed by Baptist pioneers in ethics have grown over from neglect, and new scouts are needed to “beat out the pathways” for this generation, an ethicist told the Baptist History & Heritage Society.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• heritage_dissenters_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  Heritage: Dissenters maintain 'good company'

  By Ken Camp

  Texas Baptist Communications

  BELTON–Baptists are a dissenting people who have been hated for their dissent–sometimes even by fellow Baptists who found their views disturbingly close to New Testament teachings.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  harland_score_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  Texan's musical moves from patriotism to faith

  By George Henson

  Staff Writer

  CARROLLTON–Mike Harland hopes the patriotic musical he took the lead in creating helps its hearers remember God and country–and in that order.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• namb_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  NAMB identifies two issues with BGCT

  By Ken Camp

  Texas Baptist Communications

  The president of the North American Mission Board has identified two “weighty issues” that must be addressed in a proposed cooperative agreement between NAMB and the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  kuhl_dying_60203

  Posted: 5/27/03

  'People who are dying are still living,' author reminds

  By Mark Wingfield

  Managing Editor

  “People who are dying are still living.”

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• riverpointe_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  RiverPointe names 'em and claims 'em

  By John Hall

  Texas Baptist Communications

  CONROE–Forget “Cheers.” At RiverPointe Baptist Church, everybody really knows everyone's name. It's written on their nametags.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  wayland_center_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  The first phase of Wayland's Laney Center will include a gym, track, weight training and aerobics areas.

  Wayland plans new student recreation center

  PLAINVIEW–Wayland Baptist University will break ground by the end of this year on phase one of the Pete and Nelda Laney Student Activities Center.

  President Paul Armes announced May 16 that the 51,010-square-foot facility will be constructed in two phases in order to expedite its use.

  The first phase, to be constructed at a cost of $4.4 million, will include a double gymnasium, indoor track, weight training and aerobics area, classrooms, dressing rooms and a student lounge. The second phase will add an Olympic-size natatorium.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  wayland_team_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  Wayland sends out revival team

  By Jonathan Petty

  Wayland Baptist University

  PLAINVIEW–Wayland Baptist University will extend the reach of its student summer missions teams this year with a new Lighting the Way revival team.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• under_god_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  Bush administration asks court to allow 'under God'

  WASHINGTON (RNS)–The Bush administration has formally asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule a lower court decision and allow the Pledge of Allegiance to include the words “one nation under God.”

  U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson said last summer's ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that said the pledge violates the separation of church and state is “manifestly contrary” to previous church-state cases.

  “Whatever else the (First Amendment) may prohibit, this court's precedents make it clear that it does not forbid the government from officially acknowledging the religious heritage, foundation and character of this nation,” Olson wrote in his argument.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  twins_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  Born together, baptized together,
  82-year-old blind twins open eyes

  By George Henson

  Staff Writer

  DALLAS–They were together at birth, and yet again at the baptism ceremony symbolizing their rebirth 82 years later.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  together_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  TOGETHER:
  Texas needs more new churches

  With 5,716 churches and missions related to the Baptist General Convention of Texas, there is one Texas Baptist congregation for every 3,761 people in our state. In five years, a projected 1.7 million people will be added to our current population of 21.8 million Texans–10.5 million of whom are not a part of any faith community.

  If we are to continue serving Texas as we have, we must start at least 1,100 congregations in the next five years. We are off to a good start. The BGCT Church Starting Center's Genesis Project goal is for Texas Baptists to start 777 churches in three years, and we helped to start 264 this past year.

  CHARLES WADE Executive Director BGCT Executive Board

  We estimate we will lose about 600 churches and missions over the next five years due to disbandment and mergers. Over the past five years, 718 churches have uniquely aligned with the other state convention, and 254 have entered into a dual alignment with them while remaining connected to the BGCT as well. Last year, our loss of churches to the other convention was less than 17 percent of the previous year, and we added 3.5 churches for every one that joined the other convention.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge

• tithing_60203

  Posted: 5/30/03

  Percentage of tithing households drops

  VENTURA, Calif. (RNS)–The portion of American households that tithe, or give one-tenth of their income, to their church dropped from 8 percent in 2001 to 3 percent in 2002, according to the Barna Research Group.

  The Ventura, Calif.-based marketing research firm found that groups with the highest proportion of tithers were people ages 55 or older, college graduates, Republicans, Southerners, conservatives, middle-income individuals, evangelicals, and those who attend mainline Protestant churches.

  Those least likely to tithe included Hispanics, liberals, Catholics, parents who home-school their children, Midwesterners, those not registered to vote or registered as independents, and households earning less than $20,000 and without a head of household who graduated from college.

  05/31/2003 - By John Rutledge