By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Theological Seminary alumna who went on to become the first openly gay elected official in Louisville, Ky., walked the aisle Nov. 29 with her partner of more than 15 years in a wedding ceremony…
BJC program will equip young professionals for religious liberty advocacy
By Bob Allen Next year the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty will launch a new advocacy program for young professionals, the Washington-based church-state watchdog group announced Dec. 8. The BJC Fellows Program is for people from diverse educational, professional…
Triple-murder suspect captured as Baptist church mourns
By Bob Allen An estimated 350 people attended worship Dec. 7 at Bayshore Baptist Church in Bradenton, Fla., to pay respects to 31-year-old Pastor Tripp Battle, who died at the church Dec. 4 in what police believe is a triple…
Triple slaying touches three Florida Baptist churches
By Bob Allen The pastor and the children’s director of a small Southern Baptist church in Bradenton, Fla., died Dec. 4 in a triple homicide. Police say James “Tripp” Battle III, 31, lead pastor of Bayshore Baptist Church in Bradenton,…
Should churches ditch the stand-and-greet?
By Bob Allen LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer says he wasn’t trying to be controversial when he posted a blog Nov. 1 on things that churches inadvertently do to drive away first-time visitors. The No. 1 on the list…
SBC leader Russell Moore denounces Eric Garner grand jury decision
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist Convention ethics leader Russell Moore reacted with shock and disbelief to a grand jury decision in Staten Island, N.Y., not to indict a police officer captured on video using a chokehold to subdue a non-compliant…
Faith groups support tax break for Americans with disabilities
By Bob Allen Twenty-eight faith groups including American Baptist Churches USA and its American Baptist Home Mission Societies endorsed legislation in Congress allowing Americans with disabilities to open tax-sheltered savings account for certain long-term expenditures. Members of the Interfaith Disability…
Baptists oppose discrimination ordinance in Arkansas
By Bob Allen Voters in Fayetteville, Ark., will vote in a special election Dec. 9 on whether to repeal a civil rights ordinance the City Council approved in August despite opposition from community leaders including a representative of Southern Baptist…
ERLC supports woman claiming discrimination for being pregnant
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission joined other groups in siding with a former UPS delivery driver forced to go on unpaid leave when she became pregnant in a case argued before the U.S….
Baptist group receives $182 million from feds to care for immigrant children
By Bob Allen The Obama administration paid a group related to the Baptist General Convention of Texas more than $182 million to care for undocumented immigrant children at two military facilities for four months this summer. According to documents obtained…
Former youth minister pleads guilty to abuse
By Bob Allen A 74-year-old former Southern Baptist youth pastor pleaded guilty Dec. 1 to six charges of sexually abusing minors in Jefferson County, Ala. Mack Allen Davis, former youth minister at Lakeside Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., still faces…
Half of Americans want separation between church and state in marriage
By Bob Allen About half of Americans and a quarter of Protestant ministers believe clergy should say “I don’t” to the tradition of solemnizing marriages as agents of the state, according to a new poll by LifeWay Research. The research…