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NOBTS archaeological dig ends on high note for day

By Gary D. Myers, NOBTS Communications Today we reached full operational capacity at all three of our excavation areas. We are actively excavating in the water system (Fields A and B), in the buildings near the gate (Field C), and at the Canaanite gate (Field D). Exciting things are happening at each of the locations. Though today ended on a high note, it started very slow. One of our drivers (this blogger) lost the keys to one of our vans. Quickly we figured out that the keys were lost while I was blogging in the lobby at Neve Shalom. The only problem is the lobby does not open until 7 a.m. So instead of leaving at 6 a.m., one group did not get to leave until after 7 a.m. The slow start was accentuated by rain, of all things. I have spent many days in Israel and can remember a light rain only a few times. Three or four times there were significant showers. Between rain showers, the teams took starting measurements at the above ground fields and completed the water system sandbagging of the water system before lunch. After our lunch break, each area was able to begin excavating. The water system team removed 19 bags of material. The water system and the two other fields generated enough pottery for us to start our daily task … [Read more...]

Law to nominate Paul Smith as Vice President of Pastor’s Conference

James B. Law, pastor of First Baptist Church Gonzales, will be nominating Paul Smith to serve as Vice President of Southern Baptist Convention Pastor’s Conference. Paul Smith has been pastor of First Baptist Church, Chandler, Ariz., since 2003. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, he serves as a Hebrew and Old Testament Professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary – Arizona Campus.  Originally from Arkansas he attended New Orleans Baptist Seminary where he earned his M.Div. and Ph.D. In his leadership as pastor of FBC Chandler, the church is consistently in the top five in the state of Arizona in baptisms and cooperative program and missions giving. In his thirteen year tenure, the church has grown from 100 meeting in a high school to almost 600 in their own building. They are about to construct more space debt free. He has been married to his wife Jerri for over 30 years, and they have four children and two grandchildren. Having known Paul Smith for nearly 30 years, I believe he would make a strong contribution to the leadership and planning of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastor’s Conference 2017, and for that reason, I plan to nominate him for Vice President of the Pastor’s Conference in St. Louis in … [Read more...]

ACLU director quits after daughters express fear at transgenders in restroom

By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner ATLANTA (Christian Examiner) – The interim director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia has resigned amid the organization's push back against North Carolina's so-called "bathroom law" (HB 2), which prohibits those born biologically male from using multi-occupancy female restrooms and vice versa. The ACLU is suing North Carolina's governor in federal court in Carcano v. McCrory, which alleges the law prohibiting transgender access to multi-occupancy restrooms in government is a form of "insidious discrimination." To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]

NOBTS staffer updates progress on Gezer Dig

By Gary D Myers, NOBTS communications Setup days are always tough. It’s hot, dirty and we are all a bit out of physical shape when the excavation begins. We round up the tools and equipment, set up camp, raise shade cloth, make an unreasonable amount of sandbags, and a thousand other tasks. It takes lots of time and it is some of the hardest work we do during the excavation. Day two at the Tel Gezer Water System Exploration brought much cooler temperatures and more setup at all of our major work areas. In the water system (Fields A and B), the team repaired and installed the wooden stairs which allow access to the tunnel. Others began the long process of placing sandbags over the ancient steps – 85 steps total, each requiring two to four sandbags. Once setup is complete, the team will begin clearing out the NW quadrant of the pool (Area A). Removing this will expose the full width of the pool area at its shallowest point. Just as the team began laying the sandbags, we encountered the first real problem of the season. The switch used to control the winch shorted out and, for a time, we were unable lower additional sandbags into the tunnel. This minor setback was repaired within two to two and a half hours, but the lost time … [Read more...]

Steve Gaines’ vision for the SBC: stewardship

In this video, SBC Presidential hopeful Steve Gaines shares about stewardship. Gaines is pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn. "Stewardship is simply understanding, we don’t own anything, God owns everything," Gaines said.   … [Read more...]

MEMORIAL DAY: Jimmy Connelly’s greatest honor

By Jim Burton, Baptist Press GEORGE, S.C. (BP) -- An estimated 3.6 million Americans fought in the Pacific Theatre in World War II, overcoming brutal encounters on island after island against Japanese soldiers burrowed into the hillsides. The late Jimmy Connelly was one of those Americans. The Navy made Connelly chief of a troop-landing Higgins Craft during the massive amphibious assaults at the outset of the Allies' first major Pacific offensive against the Japanese -- Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Each craft could ferry up to 36 Marines, and when they stormed the beaches, Connelly operated a 7.62mm belt-fed machine gun to provide cover. On his 10th trip to transport troops into the Solomon Islands battle zone, he also was carrying several hundred five-gallon cans of gasoline. When a mortar round struck their craft, shrapnel pierced his neck and arm, and his pants were set afire, propelling him into the ocean. When he returned home from the war, Connelly never mentioned the injuries. Too many men like him -- 18 to 21-year-olds uprooted from their families and hometowns -- lost their lives and limbs that day. His suffering, by comparison, had been minor. Seventy-two years later, Connelly could still recite the names of … [Read more...]

Baylor fires head football coach, strips Ken Starr of presidency in sexual assault scandal

By Diane Chandler, Baptist Press WACO, Texas (BP) -- Baylor University stripped Ken Starr of his presidency and fired head football coach Art Briles today (May 26) after an independent investigation found "a fundamental failure" to protect students from sexual assault in a years-long scandal. The Baylor Board of Regents announced the personnel changes in a press release posted on its website, based on the findings of an investigation by the law firm Pepper Hamilton, LLP. "Key findings of the investigation reflect a fundamental failure by Baylor to implement Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA)," the board said. The board of the largest Baptist university in the world also created a new full-time position of chief compliance officer to report directly to the president's office, sanctioned and placed on probation athletic director Ian McCaw, fired additional but unnamed members of the administration and athletics programs, clarified the roles of several departmental staff members and committed to institute "robust training" before the fall 2016 semester. The Baylor sex scandal centered on the behavior of the university students, including … [Read more...]

Steve Gaines’ vision for the SBC: spiritual awakening

In a video, Steve Gaines shares his passion for spiritual awakening. Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., is running for SBC president during next month's Annual Meeting. "I believe that America needs for God to open the windows of Heaven and pour out His spirit upon His people, and I believe that we need that now," Gaines said. … [Read more...]

Atheist relents; enters legal agreement to cease filing lawsuits over free exercise of religion

By First Liberty staff CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - During a court hearing Tuesday, atheist activist Patrick Greene reached a court-approved settlement agreement with Pastor Rick Milby of Abundant Life Fellowship Church. In the settlement, Greene dropped all claims against Pastor Milby, who Greene sued over the construction of a 230-foot cross, which will be “the tallest cross in America.” Read the final court order: FirstLiberty.org/corpus In the settlement, Greene admitted that his lawsuit was “baseless,” “vexatious” and “without merit.” As a part of the settlement, he entered into a “covenant not to sue,” agreeing to cease filing meritless lawsuits over the free exercise of religion. Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel for First Liberty, says, “We are grateful that Mr. Greene has admitted that his lawsuit – filed against a pastor for building a cross on church property – is baseless and without merit. Today’s outcome should send a clear message to anti-religious freedom activists everywhere: if you abuse the legal system by suing people simply because you don’t like how they exercise their religion, there will be legal consequences.” Pastor Milby, Senior Pastor of Abundant Life Fellowship, says, “We are overjoyed that we were able to … [Read more...]