By Bob Allen Southern Baptist church planters in Baltimore say they weren’t surprised when peaceful protests over the death of Freddie Gray turned violent, because they have witnessed firsthand the conditions breeding anger among the city’s African-American youth. “I want…
Supreme Court hears challenges to state gay-marriage bans
By Bob Allen The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments April 28 about whether the 14th Amendment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and, if not, whether states that forbid gay marriage…
Julie Pennington-Russell resigns as pastor of FBC Decatur
By Bob Allen A pioneer among Southern Baptist women in ministry and early supporter of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is stepping down as pastor of First Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga. Julie Pennington-Russell, announced April 29 in an open letter…
PNBC head says anger OK, violence not
By Bob Allen An African-American Baptist leader says young people rioting in Baltimore are sacrificing the moral high ground of nonviolent protest advocated by Martin Luther King. “Anger over the yet unexplained death of Freddie Gray is one thing, but…
Texas Baptists take sides in school choice, pastor protection legislation
By Bob Allen A Texas Baptist official bemoaned a school voucher vote in the state Senate and supported a House measure to protect clergy from being forced to officiate over same-sex marriages in recent debate at the Texas State Capitol…
Baylor renames School of Social Work for Dean Diana Garland
By Bob Allen Baylor University’s board of regents has voted to rename the university’s School of Social Work in honor of the school’s first dean, Diana Garland, who is stepping down June 1 due to illness. The Diana R. Garland…
SBC Pastors Conference disinvites Ben Carson
By Bob Allen An invitation to likely Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson to speak at this summer’s Southern Baptist Convention Pastors Conference has been withdrawn after it was criticized in Baptist blogs. Pastors Conference President Willy Rice said in a…
Union University murder trial postponed
By Bob Allen The trial of a former Union University student accused of murdering his fiancee has been postponed from May 12 until Sept. 28 due to a backlog in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation crime lab. Charles Pittman, charged…
Uzbek Baptist jailed for handing out Christian leaflet
By Bob Allen A Baptist in Uzbekistan was jailed 15 days in March and fined three years’ worth of the national minimum wage for giving a Christian leaflet to a passer-by he met while traveling by bicycle, according to a…