By Bob Allen The Arkansas state senate has passed legislation sponsored by a Southern Baptist lawmaker making it illegal for cities to adopt local ordinances banning discrimination against gays. SB-202, approved by both the House of Representatives and Senate, would…
Pastor/blogger says Southern Baptists should be honest about their racial history
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist pastor and author of a book investigating what went wrong with race and religion in the American South says the Southern Baptist Convention should stop claiming the convention’s founding purpose was missions. Alan Cross,…
Judge denies change of venue for Union University murder trial
By Bob Allen A judge in Jackson, Tenn., has turned down a request to move a former Union University student’s murder trial to another county claiming that pre-trial publicity would make it impossible to seat an impartial jury. As a…
Halt drone strikes, say faith leaders
By Bob Allen One of more than 150 religious leaders who drafted a statement opposing the use of lethal drones by the United States military said Feb. 11 it’s an issue that more Baptists should care about. Carol Blythe, past…
Legislator aims to make Bible state book of Tennessee
By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist pastor turned state lawmaker has introduced legislation to designate the Bible “the official state book” of Tennessee. Rep. Jerry Sexton, a Republican from Bean Station in the Morristown metropolitan area in East Tennessee,…
Baptists, Catholics oppose D.C. laws
By Bob Allen Faith-based organizations with offices in Washington including the Southern Baptist Convention and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote a letter Feb. 5 asking Congress to reject two new District of Columbia laws they say would restrict…
Ala. Baptist head says churches whose ministers perform gay marriages ‘not in friendly cooperation’
By Bob Allen The churches of Southern Baptist ministers who conduct marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples in Alabama risk losing their standing with the Alabama Baptist Convention, according to a statement added to the convention website Feb. 10. Rick Lance,…
Russian Baptist leader concerned about U.S. aggression in Ukraine
By Bob Allen A Russian Baptist leader has voiced concern about recent legislation by Congress authorizing $350 million in lethal and nonlethal military assistance to Ukraine and expanding the president’s authority to impose sanctions on Russian energy and defense firms….
Baptist minister has ‘no problem’ with gay marriage
By Bob Allen A Baptist minister who performed one of the first legal marriages in Alabama between members of the same sex said the ceremony was pretty much like marrying anyone else. “To me doing a same-sex marriage as a…
Alabama Baptist minister offers to marry same-sex couples
By Bob Allen A Baptist minister with childhood memories of her parents supporting African Americans in the struggle for civil rights saw Monday’s introduction of gay marriage to Alabama as a chance to make her own mark on history. Ellin…
SBC public policy chief says God at work in Washington
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists’ top public policy official says he sees God working in unexpected ways in the lives of people he encounters while representing the nation’s second-largest faith group after Roman Catholics in the nation’s capital. Russell Moore,…
LifeWay trustees authorize sale of headquarters
By Bob Allen Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources have authorized the administration to sell all or part of the Southern Baptist Convention publisher’s campus in Nashville, Tenn., for what a broker determines to be a fair market value, according to…