NASHVILLE — Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee Chairman Philip Robertson announced to EC members on Aug. 18 that Jonathan Howe will take over the role of interim EC president and CEO following the sudden resignation of Willie McLaurin on Aug. 17. “The SBC Executive Committee’s bylaws require that the Executive Committee officers appoint an existing SBC Executive Committee Vice President to serve temporarily, pending full trustee board approval,” Robertson said

NASHVILLE — The leader of the committee searching for the next president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee says they are resuming their search. The committee is receiving resumes following the surprise resignation of Willie McLaurin from the SBC EC on Aug. 17. McLaurin stepped down from his role as interim president and CEO of the EC after confessing to falsifying educational credentials on his resume. He had been

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Search and rescue crews have covered only 25 percent of the search area around Lahaina after a devastating fire destroyed the town and claimed at least 99 lives a week ago. Crews are using cadaver dogs to search for human remains. So far, nearly 100 deaths have been confirmed, though only three bodies have been identified. “The fires in Maui have quickly become one of the most

MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii — More than 30 people have been declared dead as the result of wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui which took place Aug. 9. According to media reports, the wildfires killed at least 36 people and injured dozens more. Thousands of people have evacuated the island, and the National Guard has been enlisted to provide support to local authorities. The U.S. Coast Guard has reportedly rescued

NASHVILLE — In an April phone call with James Merritt, Bryant Wright got right to the heart. He was concerned over the current state of the Southern Baptist Convention, particularly the discourse over women’s roles in ministry. Merritt, with similar concerns, had already talked about it with other Southern Baptist leaders. There was a need for clarity and consistency, two words Merritt would use two months later on the floor

EDITOR’S NOTE FROM THE BAPTIST PAPER — Stories like the one you are about to read are always diffi­cult to develop, not because the information is hard to explain but because the tone and presentation will be interpreted based on the reader and his or her involvement, prior understanding and sympathies toward the topic and/or group. The details are technically straightforward, but some will read it as a promotion or