By Bob Allen A denominational worker’s tweet over the holidays sparked a social media campaign alleging the Southern Baptist Convention’s bookstore chain values profit more than doctrinal fidelity and that an inner circle of “evangelical intelligentsia” calling the shots doesn’t…
Russell Moore, Richard Land, criticize normalizing relations with Cuba
By Bob Allen Both the current and past presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission have criticized President Obama’s recently announced plan to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba. Richard Land, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary who…
Ebola, race, marriage and Obamacare top stories in 2014
By Bob Allen Following is a summary of some of the year’s major headlines. Baptists and race. Will Baptists remember 2014 as a sea change in race relations? Fifty years after the civil rights movement and nearly 20 years after…
Deaths in 2014
By Bob Allen Malcolm Tolbert, a former missionary to Brazil who taught at two Southern Baptist Convention seminaries, died Thanksgiving Day at age 90. James “Tripp” Battle III, lead pastor of Bayshore Baptist Church in Bradenton, Fla., died Dec. 4…
U.S. Baptists welcome thaw in relations with Cuba
By Bob Allen Most Baptists in the United States with personal connections to Baptist communities in Cuba applauded President Obama’s surprise announcement Dec. 17 of plans to normalize relations between two nations separated by only 90 miles of water but…
Religion and politics do mix, Baptist author says, but not always in healthy ways
By Bob Allen Jesus’ command to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” sounds straightforward, but a new book by a Baptist scholar says the line between religion and politics isn’t…
BJC lawyer examines church’s role in civil marriage
By Bob Allen A Baptist religious-liberty lawyer says recent debate over the definition of marriage reveals a long-overlooked mingling between church and state. Hollyn Hollman, general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, noted in a recent article…
Group asks Louisiana governor to drop endorsement of prayer rally
By Bob Allen Americans United for Separation of Church and State criticized Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal Dec. 18 for using his official letterhead to invite residents to an evangelical prayer rally. “These are historic and defining times, a new world…
Triple-murder suspect now eligible for death penalty
By Bob Allen A grand jury in Manatee County, Fla., has indicted 33-year-old Andres “Andy” Avalos Jr. on three counts of first-degree murder for the killing of his wife, a Southern Baptist pastor and a third person in a violent spree…