By Bob Allen The Obama administration is asking the Supreme Court to require Hobby Lobby to provide cost-free contraceptives as part of its employee insurance coverage over the religious objections of the Southern Baptist family who own the chain of…
NC clergy urge release of torture report
By Bob Allen The head of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina joined other faith leaders in a letter from the North Carolina Council of Churches seeking the public release of a 6,000-page Senate intelligence report on U.S. torture…
Oakhurst Baptist celebrates 100 years
By Bob Allen A progressive and radically inclusive Baptist congregation celebrates its 100th anniversary this weekend in Atlanta. Constituted in 1913, Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga., sparked controversy in the 1960s as one of the first Southern Baptist churches…
ERLC defends rules for military chaplains
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission defended new guidelines for military chaplains in response to a recent commentary published by Associated Baptist Press. Andrew Walker, director of policy studies for the SBC agency dedicated…
AWAB head applauds pope’s remarks
By Bob Allen The head of an organization that advocates for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons within Baptist communities of faith welcomed comments by Pope Francis saying the Catholic Church is too focused on gays,…
Historic church calls woman pastor
By Bob Allen Elizabeth Mangham Lott, a Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond graduate who has served as associate pastor at Westover Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., since 2010, has been called as 19th senior pastor of St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church…
Christian leaders oppose SNAP cuts
By Bob Allen American Baptists joined other faith leaders in urging members of the House of Representatives to oppose cuts to food stamps proposed by Republican leaders totaling $40 billion over 10 years. A vote is expected this week on…
Former CBF leader lands job
By Bob Allen Connie McNeill, whose position as coordinator for administration for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ended in July, has a new job. McNeill, who served eight years at the Atlanta-based CBF before her job was eliminated in a staff…
Future of Baylor alumni group unclear
By Bob Allen The future of Baylor University’s independent alumni association and The Baylor Line magazine remains unclear after a Sept. 7 vote to dissolve the Baylor Alumni Association into the university failed to muster a needed two-thirds super majority….