The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship rolled out a transition plan July 19 to retire and replace Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter. “CBF is at a great place and poised for even greater impact,” Paynter, 67, said in a news release. “Thinking of…
Pastor-judge files appeal of case dismissal
An Arkansas judge barred from hearing death penalty cases after attending a rally against capital punishment in his other job as a Baptist pastor claims a three-judge panel rushed to judgment when it dismissed his lawsuit and wants a rehearing…
#MeToo fallout continues for Memphis megachurch
Six months after he stood by a staff member accused of past sexual assault of a teenager, the founding pastor of a megachurch in Memphis, Tennessee, has resigned. Lead Pastor Chris Conlee and trustees of Highpoint church released a joint…
Trump’s Supreme Court pick once ruled against figure in SBC ‘conservative resurgence’
Opinions vary about whether the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh would be good news or bad news for religious liberty, but one of a handful of church-state cases he has weighed during his 12 years…
Mercer replaces McAfee dean
Mercer University has replaced the dean of the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology after two years on the job. Mercer President William D. Underwood said in an e-mail to McAfee’s board of visitors that Jeffrey Willetts, dean since…
Citing ‘God’s providence,’ Scott Pruitt resigns as head of EPA
With a letter referencing divine providence, Scott Pruitt, a Southern Baptist layman serving as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, resigned July 5 amid a series of controversies over spending and alleged self-dealing. Pruitt, a member of First Baptist…
Columnist Jonathan Merritt latest departure from RNS
Jonathan Merritt, an award-winning religion writer who contributes regularly to national publications including The Atlantic and The Week, has stepped down as senior columnist for Religion News Service, citing “irreconcilable differences” with his publisher and interim editor-in-chief. Merritt, son of…
Court upholds decision barring pastor/judge from death penalty cases
A three-judge panel of federal appeals court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit testing the boundary between religious liberty and judicial restraint. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that Arkansas Judge Wendell Griffen’s lawsuit challenging his disqualification from…
Donors call for investigation into trustee handling of seminary president’s firing
Two dozen major donors to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary have threatened to end their support of the Southern Baptist Convention school unless trustees right “serious wrongs” committed against its former president. Seven individuals and nine couples co-signed a June 29…
Women of faith confront immigration policy at U.S. border
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter joined other female clergy this week to learn more about and advocate on behalf of families separated by U.S. immigration policy at the U.S. border with Mexico. The 11-member delegation – also including…
Baptist lawyer says Supreme Court’s weakening of labor unions is bad news for progressive causes
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday delivered a potentially serious blow to public-sector unions in a case with social-justice implications that a Baptist attorney with three decades experience representing organized labor says is below the public radar screen of most…
Pennies from heaven? Overlooked provision in Republican tax bill has churches on edge
A largely overlooked provision in a massive tax bill signed into law six months ago requires churches and other non-profits to begin paying a 21 percent tax on fringe benefits such as employee parking, according to a story broken this…