Saturday Lagniappe: 'Growing Southern Baptist churches more likely in Northeast, among newer churches" And More

Growing Southern Baptist churches more likely in Northeast, among newer churches
The Southern Baptist Convention is made up of mostly smaller churches dotting the southern U.S., but only the Northeast region is growing.

This is an interesting development since the Northeast has long been considered one of the most difficult regions in the United States to plant new churches ad to grow existing ones.

What does it mean to be a Southern Baptist living in 21st century America?
Weighty topics such as Baptist political theology and the Conservative Resurgence were among several discussed during a conversation on “Baptist Public Theology, Democracy, and Principled Pluralism” hosted by the Land Center at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

SBC expels Oklahoma church over pastor’s racial impersonations
An Oklahoma church has been expelled from the Southern Baptist Convention because the pastor performed in blackface at a church event and impersonated a Native American woman at another.

The Worrying and Fearful Leader
Worry and anxiety can stifle the effectiveness of the best leader. In my life when anxiety gets the best of me, my leadership always suffers. So, what goes on in the mind of a leader when he or she worries and what can we do about it? Consider these suggestions.

Calvin’s Take on Venerating Relics
Venerating relics continues to be part of the core of Roman Catholic theology and devotional practice. Praying to the dead, asking for the intercession of saints, attaching to physical objects as mediators of grace, and centering life around folk devotional practices aren’t fringe aspects of the faith; they’re in the mainstream. This is why John Calvin’s Treatise on Relics remains relevant in our day.

New ‘Gospel’ Manuscript Discovered? (What It Is and Why It Matters.)
Well over 40 percent of our New Testament papyri come from the single site of Oxyrhynchus.

The omnipresence of Christ
The biblical proclamation in Matthew 18:20, where Jesus assures, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them," beckons us to delve into the depths of the divine mystery of Christ's omnipresence. This concept, though challenging to fathom, invites us to explore how Christ can be present in multiple places at once.

4 Prayers for Teachers This Fall
These are hard days for teachers. For the last several years, this is one particular group of people who have been on the frontlines of shutdowns, reopens, shifting guidelines, and cultural shifts. They have found themselves at the center of issue after issue, all while trying to do a very difficult job without all these issues complicating it.... In light of that here are several specific ways to pray for our teachers this fall....

Can Christians Be Demon-Possessed? Evangelist Greg Stier Answers
Can someone who is a follower of Jesus Christ be possessed by a demon? The answer to that question, says evangelist and ministry leader Greg Stier, is an emphatic, “No.”

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare
What is spiritual warfare? How do we recognize spiritual warfare in our life and ministry? How should we respond to spiritual warfare?

Spiritual Warfare and Evangelism
What does the Bible say about spiritual warfare? What implications does spiritual warfare have on how we approach evangelism? How can pastors equip their church members to be more evangelistic?

The Very False Dichotomy Between Evangelism and Discipleship
The sad truth is that the already convinced do not naturally turn outward and reach out to friends and family members with the message of the gospel. Rather they are more than content to stay within the comfort of the Christian bubble in which they live.

Two-thirds of Evangelicals in two-adult households do their giving as a couple: study
Two-thirds of Evangelicals living in two-adult households donate to charity as a couple, even as individual spouses in many relationships have unequal influence over where the money goes, a new study suggests.

A fifth of Mormon college students in the US say they’re LGBQ, new study shows
Among US Mormon college students, 78% said they were heterosexual and 22% identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or something else.