By Bob Allen An Oklahoma district court judge sparked national attention after sentencing a teenager to attend church for 10 years as a condition for avoiding prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Muskogee Judge Mike Norman gave 17-year-old Tyler Alred…
Baptists write Obama about Burma
By Bob Allen American Baptist leaders wrote President Obama Nov. 12, voicing human-rights concerns in advance of his scheduled Nov. 19 visit to Myanmar. The Board of General Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA voted Nov. 10 to authorize ABC/USA…
Ministry: Abuse suit harms confidentiality
By Bob Allen A network of Reformed church plants accused in a class-action lawsuit of covering up sexual abuse of children appealed to a First Amendment defense in a statement Nov. 14. Sovereign Grace Ministries, which recently relocated from Maryland…
British Baptists downsizing
By Bob Allen The Baptist Union of Great Britain will downsize its national staff from 46 to 32 employees and change the way it works with associations and Baptist colleges to better serve local churches in the 21st century. Changes approved…
Faith leaders pledge to work with Obama
By Bob Allen A diverse group of faith leaders wrote President Obama Nov. 13 to congratulate him on his re-election and pledge to work with the administration during the next four years to help the nation “live up to the…
Christians support UN status for PLO
By Bob Allen One hundred Christian leaders in the Holy Land issued an open letter Nov. 14 asking western governments to support the Palestinian people in their struggle for independence and freedom. The letter from the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical…
OK Baptists affirm ‘personhood’ of unborn
By Bob Allen Oklahoma Baptists applauded an attempt to amend the state’s constitution to declare an embryo a human being from the moment of conception in a resolution at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma’s Nov. 12-13 annual meeting at…
Immigration reform back on agenda
By Bob Allen Stymied by gridlock during President Obama’s first term, supporters of comprehensive immigration reform are encouraged by talk of bipartisanship from Republican leaders in the wake of a stunning defeat, attributed in large part to Hispanic support for…
Immigration reform back on agenda
By Bob Allen Stymied by gridlock during President Obama’s first term, supporters of comprehensive immigration reform are encouraged by talk of bipartisanship from Republican leaders in the wake of a stunning defeat, attributed in large part to Hispanic support for…