By Bob Allen Condolences and well-wishes worldwide followed an Aug. 12 announcement by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter that he has cancer. “Recent liver surgery revealed that I have cancer that now is in other parts of my body,” the…
Union University quits CCCU over homosexuality
By Bob Allen Baptist-affiliated Union University announced Aug. 13 it is withdrawing from an association of Christian schools after two member institutions changed policies to permit the hiring of faculty members who are in same-sex marriages. The Tennessee Baptist Convention-affiliated…
Church-state group says matrimony sentence out of bounds
By Bob Allen A Texas judge had no right to sentence a man to marriage and court-ordered Bible study, a Washington-based church-state watchdog group said Aug. 10. Americans United for Separation of Church and State attorneys wrote Smith County Judge…
Ordinance foes claim religious right to discriminate
By Bob Allen More than 200 people gathered Aug. 11 in a Southern Baptist church in Fayetteville, Ark., to rally against a proposed civil rights ordinance that opponents say poses a threat to religious liberty. The rally at University Baptist…
Baptist protestors arrested in St. Louis
By Bob Allen Four of the 57 people arrested Aug. 10 in a peaceful protest outside a federal courthouse in St. Louis were part of an eight-member Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America delegation in Ferguson, Mo., there to observe…
Kentucky seminary celebrates commencement, accreditation
By Bob Allen Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, one of 15 theology schools in partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, postponed its usual spring commencement to Aug. 8 in a special celebration after earning accreditation early this summer. CBF Executive Coordinator…
Seventh court upholds Obamacare accommodation for religious nonprofits
By Bob Allen The Obama administration improved to 7-0 in the number of federal appeals courts defending its religious accommodation to require coverage of contraceptives in employer health care plans with an Aug. 7 decision by the Second U.S. Circuit…
Smyth & Helwys exec diagnosed with leukemia
By Bob Allen The publisher and executive vice president of a leading resource provider for churches in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has been hospitalized and is being treated for leukemia. Smyth & Helwys Publishing in Macon, Ga., announced Aug. 7…
Unsolved church bombings leave New Mexico community on edge
By Bob Allen Police in Las Cruces, N.M., evacuated a mall Aug. 6, after a suspicious package was left near the entrance to a Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Mesilla Valley Mall in Las Cruces was closed for several hours amid…