By Bob Allen Russell Moore’s legislative agenda for the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission parallels those of his predecessor Richard Land but leaves out concerns embraced by Land, viewed as a leader in the Religious Right. Like Land,…
Trial underway in lawsuit over slain pastor
By Bob Allen Attorneys representing a widow whose pastor husband was slain in a botched drug sting and the former police officer who fired the fatal shot made opening statements in a civil trial in northern Georgia Feb. 3. The…
Mediation of Missouri Baptist lawsuits fails
By Bob Allen Attempted mediation of a 12-year-old legal battle pitting the Missouri Baptist Convention against four breakaway agencies failed to produce an agreement, convention officials announced Jan. 31. Convention leaders met with representatives of the Missouri Baptist Foundation, The…
Prominent CBF pastor diagnosed with cancer
By Bob Allen Guy Sayles, pastor of First Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C., has been diagnosed with cancer, he told members of the high-profile Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-affiliated congregation Feb. 2. “Over the last week or so, following an array of…
Calvinist preacher OK with women deacons
By Bob Allen A leader in the so-called New Calvinism resurgence in Southern Baptist life says he believes the Bible permits women to serve as deacons. David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., addressed the…
Expert says Super Bowl trafficking surge a myth
By Bob Allen As sure as anticipation about the halftime show and new commercials, the hype leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVII in New York City includes claims it is America’s biggest event for human trafficking. But an activist…
Mosque opponents appeal to Supreme Court
By Bob Allen A group of citizens who sued their county about public notice for plans to build a mosque in their community sent an appeal overnight to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, Tenn., reported…
Scholar claims in legal brief that RFRA is unconstitutional
By Bob Allen Amid a flurry of legal briefs anticipating a Supreme Court decision this year to decide whether a 20-year-old law protecting an individual’s right to religious exercise also applies to corporations, one high-profile legal scholar argues the law…
State of the Union draws attention to U.S. missionary jailed in North Korea
By Bob Allen The sister and mother of an American imprisoned in North Korea accepted an invitation to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address in hopes of raising awareness about efforts to win his release. Earlier in the day,…