More than 75 religious conservatives, including several leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention, have signed a public document opposing policies that ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Charter signers of the “Preserve Freedom, Reject Coercion” proclamation coordinated…
Pre-Christmas burglaries target Louisiana churches
Authorities in Louisiana are looking for a real-life Grinch following a recent string of church burglaries. The Baptist Message, news journal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, said four Baptist congregations were among nine churches of various denominations hit by burglars…
Southern Seminary president affirms fidelity to Abstract of Principles
A Calvinist-influenced doctrinal statement written by slaveholders before the Civil War still serves Southern Baptists well in the 21st century, a seminary president said recently promoting a new book affirming his institution’s commitment to “confessional” faith. Albert Mohler, president of…
Blue Christmas service seeks to comfort the grieving
Christmas can be anything but the most wonderful time of the year for those suffering from grief and loss, and a number of churches seek to comfort the afflicted with a Blue Christmas service providing a safe place during the…
Speaker says Genderbread Person highlights need for Christian schools
Editor’s note: This story was edited after posting to correct errors in the second and third paragraphs. The retired head of an organization of Christian schools claimed young children in public schools are being indoctrinated in beliefs such as “transgenderism”…
Former moderate Baptist leader parallels presidential race with SBC holy war
A leader in the moderate resistance to fundamentalist influence in the closing decades of the 20th century says he sees troubling similarities between today’s political climate and the era now commonly referred to as the Conservative Resurgence in the Southern…
Texas Baptist church opens doors to LGBT community
Another Texas congregation has joined the ranks of moderate and progressive Baptists moving toward full inclusion of LGBT Christians, setting up potential conflict with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, amended bylaws Nov….
Car damages America’s first Baptist church
The nation’s oldest Baptist church sustained damage when an out-of-control automobile came onto church property and crashed into a set of brownstone steps that had been in place for more than 300 years. A car descending a steep hill behind…
Trump picks climate-change denier, Southern Baptist to run the EPA
President-elect Donald Trump has selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt — a climate-change denier and Southern Baptist layman who sits on the board of trustees at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary — to run the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump’s transition team confirmed the…
American Baptist leaders recall ‘other side’ of Pearl Harbor
As citizens across the nation mark the 75th anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, American Baptist leaders renewed attention to a lesser-known part of the story they believe offers lessons on racial prejudice still relevant for today. Two months…
British Baptists seek middle ground on same-sex marriage
A group of ministers and scholars issued a statement Dec. 5 asking Baptist churches in the United Kingdom to find “the courage to be Baptist” in continuing to associate with fellow Baptists despite differing views on the thorny issue of…
Baptists around the world to celebrate human rights
Baptist churches around the world will focus worship services this weekend on the biblical demand to stand up for human rights. The Baptist World Alliance, an organization of 235 member bodies representing 45 million Baptists around the globe, sponsors Human…