By Bob Allen Southern Baptist leaders in Oklahoma joined other clergy and lawmakers seeking to revive “personhood” legislation shelved by Republicans in the state’s House of Representatives. Representatives of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission…
Speakers say churches can learn from same-sex couples
A gay Christian told Baptists April 20 that whatever their views about homosexuality, churches can learn something from committed same-sex covenant relationships. Cody Sanders delivers a paper during a plenary session examing the boundaries of covenant. (CBF photos) Cody Sanders,…
Gushee: Covenant best model for sexual relationship
By Bob Allen The co-convener of a conference on sexuality and covenant said April 20 that long-term committed relationships are the best model for Christians struggling to make sense of changing morals about sex. David Gushee “I believe that covenant…
Pastor says SBC should repudiate and/or replace Richard Land
An influential black pastor says the Southern Baptist Convention should repudiate remarks about race by the head of its ethics commission, and if Richard Land does not repent he should be fired. Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in…
Christians lack consensus on sexual ethics, conference speaker says
By Bob Allen Christians no longer share a consensus that sex outside of marriage is always wrong and must find new ways to deal with that reality besides splitting into smaller and smaller groups over issues like homosexuality and contraception,…
CBF council reviewing revised 2012 Task Force report
By Bob Allen A two-year study charting the future for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is now in the hands of the group’s Coordinating Council, which votes May 1 on the final report in time for it to be published and…
Groups urge end to religious profiling
By Bob Allen Organizations including the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty urged a Senate panel probing racial profiling in America to include profiling of religious minorities in their study. Thirty-five groups wrote leaders of a Senate Committee on the…
Alliance takes aim at gun deaths
By Bob Allen The Alliance of Baptists adopted a statement of support April 14 for the family of Trayvon Martin and others who have experienced similar losses. Citing an article from the Alliance covenant affirming “the calling of God to…
Richard Land cries media bias
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist leader Richard Land is blaming media bias for controversy over his recent remarks accusing black leaders and President Obama of using Trayvon Martin’s death to stimulate African-American voter turnout in the upcoming presidential election. Richard…
Richard Land apologizes for Trayvon Martin comments
By Bob Allen Three days after defending comments accusing black leaders of politicizing the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, the head of Southern Baptists’ Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission apologized April 16 to anyone who was offended by his…
Pastor says New Calvinism giving short shrift to missions
By Bob Allen For all its successes, Neo-Calvinism needs to do a better job of spurring zeal for global missions and personal holiness, a speaker said April 11 at the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, Ky. Kevin DeYoung,…
Camp director convicted of sex crime once worked at Glorieta
By Bob Allen A former Baptist camp director who recently pleaded guilty to a federal sex crime formerly worked at Glorieta Conference Center, Associated Baptist Press has learned. Michael Latham A LifeWay Christian Resources spokesman confirmed April 12 that Mike…