Marilyn Stewart

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary preaching professor Dennis Phelps is serving as the 2015-2016 president of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. EHS promotes the exchange of ideas related to instruction in biblical preaching, academic publication in homiletics and the effective communication of the Gospel from a biblical-theological standpoint. Phelps joined the NOBTS faculty in 2006 and occupies the J.D. Grey Chair of Preaching. He has 19 years in theological education, including 10 at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and more than 21 years in pastoral ministry. In addition to his teaching duties, Phelps also leads the alumni relations office at NOBTS.

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- A noted evangelical-turned-agnostic and a well-known agnostic-turned-evangelical were the featured speakers at the 12th annual Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Bart D. Ehrman, author of numerous best-selling books including "How Jesus Became God," "Jesus, Interrupted" and "Misquoting Jesus," dialoged with Michael F. Bird, a lecturer in theology at Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia, and the editor of "How God Became Jesus" and author of the award-winning "The Gospel of the Lord."

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Race relations issues have not improved since the election of the first African American U.S. president, but the church can lead in modeling reconciliation, said Fred Luter Jr., immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the first African American to hold the position.

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- The need for Christian apologetics -- the clearing of obstacles to faith -- has never been greater, attendees were told throughout the annual Defend the Faith conference, Jan. 4-8, at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary "Every age presents unique challenges to the Christian faith," said Defend the Faith director Rhyne Putman, NOBTS assistant professor of theology and culture. "We face moral shifts in our culture, religious pluralism, other competing worldviews and assaults on religious liberty."

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- When Jay and Elizabeth Terrill decided to forego Christmas gifts to each other and instead give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, it sparked an idea for their daughter Mollie and her cousin Lexi Cole: a Christmas craft fair to benefit the International Mission Board. With the recent IMB financial/personnel cuts in mind, the 11-year-olds enlisted the help of their church -- Gentilly Baptist Church in New Orleans -- and set a goal of $1,000 for the Dec. 5 event. With donated crafts, baked goods, garden plants and other items, the fair netted $1,067.

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley pointed to Christ's birth and the meaning of Emmanuel during the seminary's Dec. 19 graduation ceremony. "'God with us' changes everything," he told graduates. Speaking to a class of 224 candidates, Kelley began his charge by noting that some members would soon be going into places too dangerous to name publicly. "This is a day of great joy but also a day of sobering reality," Kelley said. He noted ...

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Race is an issue that continues to divide, said New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson during a book signing at the LifeWay campus store at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The solution is "changed hearts" in Christ, Watson said. The event fell on Nov. 24, the one-year anniversary of the ruling in the racially charged Ferguson, Mo., case of the shooting death of Michael Brown. ...

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Calling for Baptists to remember their roots as a "jailhouse religion," Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said Christians must be willing to be marginalized and offended for the sake of the Gospel. The remarks came at Baptist Voices: Left, Right and Center, a Sept. 29 forum sponsored by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's Institute for Faith and the Public Square that brought ...

ANGOLA, Louisiana (BP) -- Al celebrar 20 años de colaboración que ha cambiado vidas y ha desplegado "misioneros," el Seminario Teológico Bautista New Orleans /Leavell College (NOBTS por sus siglas en inglés) ha dedicado una nueva instalación con salones expandidos de clase y un espacio para biblioteca en la Penitenciaria Estatal de Louisiana, Angola, Louisiana. La dedicación del 27 de agosto seguida de una ceremonia de graduación marcó el graduando 278º del programa.

ANGOLA, La. (BP) -- Celebrating a 20-year partnership that has changed lives and deployed "missionaries," New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary/Leavell College has dedicated a new facility with expanded classroom and library space at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, La. The Aug. 27 dedication followed a graduation ceremony marking the program's 278th graduate.