By Bob Allen In an Oct. 7 editorial, a Baptist state newspaper editor blasted a ruling by a Kansas City judge that marriages of Missouri gay couples performed legally in other states or countries must be honored in their home…
Pastor calls out ‘tolerated non-involvement’ in Southern Baptist churches
By Bob Allen One of the most unrecognized sins in Southern Baptist life is “tolerated non-involvement” by church members, a prominent pastor said recently in a conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church…
Dallas Ebola patient Eric Duncan dies
By Bob Allen Dallas Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, 42, died Oct. 8, according to a statement from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. “It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must inform you of the death…
Alliance of Baptists gets grant for LGBT initiative
By Bob Allen The Alliance of Baptists announced Oct. 8 receipt of a $104,400 grant to support a new initiative promoting LGBT inclusion and racial justice among Baptists. The grant from the Arcus Foundation, a charity that supports organizations that…
Dallas Baptist church supports Ebola family
By Bob Allen People affected by the Ebola virus are not just potential carriers to be shunned and feared but persons of dignity and worth created in the image of God, said Sunday morning’s preacher at Wilshire Baptist Church in…
BJC supports Muslim prisoner’s right to grow beard
By Bob Allen The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Oct. 7 weighing the rights of people in prison to exercise their religion against sensitivity to corrections officials in matters of security. The case, Holt v. Hobbs, involves a practicing…
Supreme Court sidesteps same-sex marriage, making it legal in five states
By Bob Allen The U.S. Supreme Court declined Oct. 6 to settle once and for all whether same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, denying review of seven petitions from five states involving disputes over the legal recognition of same-sex marriage….
Transgender minister, Baptist theologian headline conference promoting LGBT acceptance
By Bob Allen The week after Southern Baptists complete a national conference on “The Gospel, Homosexuality and the Future of Marriage” in Nashville, Tenn., some other Baptists will gather in a church in Washington to explore an alternative view. Allyson…
First U.S. Ebola case hits home for Baptist church in Dallas
By Bob Allen Dallas Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan was coming to America to get married and start a new life with a woman baptized this summer as a member of Wilshire Baptist Church, the church’s pastor, George Mason, said…
Parents sue Second Baptist, Houston, over daughter’s abuse
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist megachurch in Texas is being sued by parents of a teenage girl claiming careless hiring and supervision of a former youth minister in prison for sexual assault of a child. A lawsuit filed Oct….
Not all clergy supporting Tenn. abortion amendment
By Bob Allen Liberal clergy rallied Oct. 1 in Memphis, Tenn., to add a dissenting voice to Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist and other faith leaders seeking passage of an amendment to the Tennessee constitution giving lawmakers more power to curb…
Conference affirms sufficiency of Scripture for counseling
By Bob Allen Many Christians who affirm the inerrancy and authority of the Bible don’t think it is sufficient to handle problems in their life, according to speakers at a recent conference on biblical counseling at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary…