By Bob Allen Alabama state leaders were urged to repeal Common Core standards promoted by the U.S. Department of Education in a resolution adopted at the Alabama Baptist State Convention annual meeting Nov. 11-12 in Birmingham. The resolution titled “On Parental…
Interim seminary head praises progress against Ebola in Liberia
By Bob Allen Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced Nov. 13 the end of national state of emergency, citing progress in the fight against Ebola. Richard Wilson, a Mercer University professor forced to leave his temporary appointment as president of…
Evangelicals already working to mobilize vote in 2016
By Bob Allen Bolstered by success in the recent 2014 elections, an under-the-radar campaign to mobilize evangelical voters is asking 63,000 pastors to consider running for public office in 2016. CBN News chief political correspondent David Brody recently published an…
Citing low receipts, North Carolina convention reduces budget
By Bob Allen The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina voted Nov. 11 to trim its annual budget by $1 million, citing a decline in giving of about 7 percent. “While it is true that the receipts of many churches…
Maryland school board ‘steals’ Christmas
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist leader in Maryland denounced a local school board’s decision to eliminate references to all religious holidays on its published calendar for 2015-2016. The Montgomery County Board of Education voted 7-1 to make the change…
Tennessee Baptists elect first black president
By Bob Allen The Tennessee Baptist Convention elected the first African-American president in its 140-year history Nov. 11. Michael Ellis, 54, pastor of Impact Baptist Church in Memphis, was elected by unanimous vote of more than 940 messengers attending the…
Baptist leaders join plea to spare mentally ill man on death row
By Bob Allen More than 50 evangelical Christian leaders from Texas and across the country wrote an open letter Nov. 12 seeking clemency for a mentally ill inmate scheduled to die by lethal injection Dec. 3 in Texas. Faith leaders…
OK Baptists oppose homosexuality, but not gays
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists in Oklahoma passed resolutions both urging compassion for homosexuals and opposing same-sex marriage at the 2014 Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma meeting Nov. 10-11 at Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. A resolution on…
Kentucky Baptists dismiss gay-friendly church
By Bob Allen The Kentucky Baptist Convention voted Nov. 11 to sever ties with a historic Louisville church which describes itself as welcoming and affirming of homosexuality. Messengers at the 2014 KBC annual meeting in Bowling Green voted overwhelmingly in…
NCC hires two staffers
By Bob Allen The National Council of Churches, an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States, has announced two hirings for key leadership roles. NCC officials announced Nov. 7 the hiring of Aundreia Alexander, head of…
Baptist preacher breaks ranks on gay rights
By Bob Allen A Baptist minister involved in a faith-based LGBT equality education campaign in Mississippi describes his participation as an expression of neighbor love. Stan Wilson, pastor at Northside Baptist Church in Clinton, Miss., said he welcomes the “All…
SBC leader says North Korea partly right about Kenneth Bae
Editor’s note: This story was edited after posting to correct an error. By Bob Allen After the weekend release of a missionary imprisoned two years for allegedly planning a “religious coup d’etat” in North Korea, a Southern Baptist Convention leader…