Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and Family Talk, was honored with the Board of Trustees Distinguished Service Award from the Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College.

Dobson was given the College's highest award, as well as an honorary doctorate of letters, in a ceremony held on Thursday as part of the College's Founder's Day.

Dr. Joe W. Aguillard, president of Louisiana College, told The Christian Post that Dobson received such honors because he is a "true national treasure." more >>

A city in Georgia has told a local church to remove a couple banners, saying that the use of such displays is in violation of an ordinance regarding signs.

The City of Oakwood informed West Hall Baptist Church that the banners placed on its property that gave the church's name and times for worship were not in compliance with the Code of Ordinances.

Dr. Mike Reynolds, pastor at West Hall Baptist, told The Christian Post that the banners were put on display last year, well before the recent complaints were made by Oakwood officials. more >>

Evangelical Christians have launched a civil debate on their opposing views on evolution and its compatibility with Scripture. Rather than a "tit-for-tat" exchange, they sought to start something more "charitable" and "respectful" in the science and faith discussion.

The online debate – or what The BioLogos Foundation is calling a "charitable dialogue" – began earlier this year when Southern Baptist scholars were given the opportunity to express some of their concerns to BioLogos regarding the organization's approach to Scripture, interpretation of the first book of Genesis and the status of Adam, among other things.

Seven professors from Southern Baptist seminaries are outlining their concerns with theistic evolution or evolutionary creationism. more >>

In case you missed it, video of the historic election of Fred Luter Jr. as the first African- American president of the Southern Baptist Convention was recently posted on the Annual Meeting's website.

Luter's election was especially significant since the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the nation with over 16 million members, was established 167 years ago in support of slavery and segregation.

David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church in New Orleans, delivered the nominating speech right before Luter was elected with acclamation on Day 1 of SBC's June 19-20 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. more >>

New York Times best-selling author Eric Metaxas is among the Christians upset over the decision by LifeWay Christian Stores to remove "The Blind Side" from its shelves because it contained profanity and racial slurs. He says objections over the language miss the point of the film and such reactions make it hard for Christians to be taken seriously in cultural discussions.

Metaxas, a rising evangelical voice who is best known for his biographies on William Wilberforce and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, expressed his disapproval of LifeWay's move to pull "The Blind Side" in a commentary for BreakPoint radio this week.

"I'm kind of upset. A great movie was pulled from the shelves of a Christian bookstore chain," he said on the July 5 program. "Look, I'm as concerned about cultural messages as anyone. I'm a father. But there's a right way and a wrong way to do this – and the wrong way definitely includes the permanent state of umbrage that many Christians seem to exhibit. They seem to have confused being salt and light with being curmudgeons." more >>

Ed Stetzer thinks Christians can be "knowledge addicts" when it comes to the Bible but have an "application deficit" when it comes to living on mission. In other words, Christians can talk the talk but they don't walk the walk.

That's where Stetzer, the general editor of The Gospel Project, is hoping the new LifeWay Christian Resources curriculum will be different from other Bible study curriculums out there. Stetzer and the project's managing editor, Trevin Wax, were intentional in making a resource that connects deep theological concepts with mission-driven application.

"We're really working hard to make sure that people know the big story. Not that they will be addicted to knowing more but that it will lead to actional application. That's what we're trying to do is to break that cycle," said Stetzer, an expert in missiology and vice president of Research and Ministry Development for LifeWay Christian Resources. more >>