Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, but it hurts to read the numbers. A faith foundation built on the exclusivity of Christ in salvation is shifting under the feet of teens and young adults. A new poll by the Barna Group shows a growing number of young people say there’s more than one way to get […]
Now is as good a time as any. Maybe better.
When will life return to normal?” is the common cry today, with health experts pushing the date farther and farther away. Christmas 2021, maybe, one prominent doctor predicted in February for having some semblance of normalcy after COVID. For those in quarantine, or awaiting a vaccination, or simply exhausted by the pandemic, Christmas seems a […]
The year of the asterisk
One of the more memorable aspects of the film 61* is the asterisk. The movie with a number for a name depicts Roger Maris’s quest to top Babe Ruth’s single season home run record. Ruth hit 60 homers in 154 games in 1927. But by 1961, the season was expanded to 162 games. That year […]
News Stories
Candidates weigh in on SBC’s top issues
Baptist Press will publish interviews with each of the four announced candidates for SBC president. The Illinois Baptist newspaper will excerpt the interviews as they are released and will also publish the excerpts here. Messengers will elect the next president of the SBC at the denomination’s annual meeting June 15-16 in Nashville. Ed Litton […]
Equality Act threatens religious freedoms
Christian leaders are concerned about the loss of religious freedom, expansion of federal abortion funding, diminished protection for women, and the impact on hiring practices by Christian organizations under HR5, the Equality Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Feb. 25. The vote was 224-206, almost totally along party lines. The bill goes to […]
Floyd urges unity and vision, decries ‘sound of war’
The SBC Executive Committee gathered Feb. 22-23 for the first time since COVID-19 shut down virtually all in-person meetings. The Nashville meeting was marked by leaders’ calls for cooperation amid several public fractures in Baptist life: racial tensions, a dispute between six state conventions and the North American Mission Board, and a recently released report […]
Controversial new teaching standards approved
The General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) voted Feb. 17 to approve the controversial new teaching standards some say would require teachers to abandon their religious beliefs. Meeting the standards will now be required to receive teaching certification in Illinois. The Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards (CRTLS) touch on issues such as […]
Encouraging Words
Are you weary? Run on.
We set up a makeshift pulpit in our dining room. With the camera balanced on cardboard boxes and books, my husband preached while I served as executive producer—a role I gained overnight. Immediately after his sermon, I taught children’s church via video conference from a desk in our bedroom. I also held an open invitation […]
God with us
I love people and deeply miss the connectedness that’s hard to have in the middle of a pandemic. I recently had a senior adult lady who I haven’t seen in months come by the church I pastor. My first comment to her was, “Ida, I’ve missed being WITH you so much I would almost hug […]
Leaders
Illinois Leadership Summit goes online
Challenges presented by the pandemic are proving to be growth opportunities for IBSA conferences and leadership events. Because of limitations on attendance in a single location, the 2021 Illinois Leadership Summit will be available online for the first time. Future Focus: Leading Your Church Beyond COVID-19 will be the theme of the event on Jan. […]