This story was edited after posting to correct an error in the 13th paragraph. By Bob Allen Baptists Today — an autonomous, national news journal rooted in the Southern Baptist Convention “holy war” in the 1980s — has “a serious cash flow…
LifeWay ditches planned building site
By Bob Allen LifeWay Christian Resources has backed out of plans to build a new headquarters on 1.5 acres of downtown riverfront property, the Southern Baptist Convention entity’s president said in a memo to employees Nov. 16. In July LifeWay…
Kentucky’s Southern Baptists hire lobbyist, Capitol chaplain
By Bob Allen The Kentucky Baptist Convention is placing a lobbyist, chaplain and journalist in Frankfort, Ky., in an effort to gain more influence in state politics. The new jobs are funded by a financial grant at no cost to…
Baptist group in Oklahoma denounces divorce, adultery
By Bob Allen While reaffirming their previous stance against gay marriage, Southern Baptists in Oklahoma denounced a “culture of divorce” permeating society — including churches — in a resolution passed by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma Nov. 9-10 in Oklahoma City….
Richard Land joins Starbucks red cup fray
By Bob Allen Former Southern Baptist leader Richard Land has added his voice to the latest “war on Christmas” campaign, suggesting Christians should boycott Starbucks over the plain red design of this year’s holiday cup. Land, retired executive director of…
Pianist, professor Maurice Hinson dead at 84
By Bob Allen Maurice Hinson, one of America’s most respected authorities on piano literature who taught at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1957 until 2015, died Nov. 11 at age 84 after a battle with cancer. As professor and senior…
Liberty prof says LGBT film fest gives her platform to ‘speak the truth in love’
By Bob Allen Religious arguments against same-sex marriage are weakened in society by the breakup of traditional families, a research fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention said at a recent film festival connecting…
Missouri Baptist group endorses law addressing ‘threat’ to religious liberty
By Bob Allen The Missouri Baptist Convention called on state lawmakers to enact legislation or propose a constitutional amendment to enhance religious liberty and freedom of conscience protections for pastors and churches in a resolution at the group’s annual gathering…
CBF renews partnership with Global Women
By Bob Allen Leaders of Global Women, a woman-to-woman missions organization founded in 2001, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship recently inked a new partnership agreement for future collaboration. Suzii Paynter, executive coordinator of the 1,800-church CBF, said the new relationship…
Kentucky Baptists elect black president
By Bob Allen The Kentucky Baptist Convention elected its first African-American president Nov. 10 at Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, Ky. Kevin Smith, teaching pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville and an assistant professor of Christian preaching at…
South Carolina Baptists boot church after pastor performs gay wedding
By Bob Allen The South Carolina Baptist Convention voted Nov. 10 to withdraw fellowship from a church whose pastor married a gay couple with blessing of the church deacons. About 300 messengers at the 195th annual meeting of the state…
Southern Baptists to be host for Bevin’s inaugural worship service
By Bob Allen Kentucky Gov.-elect Matt Bevin will break tradition by holding his inaugural worship service at a Southern Baptist church outside of downtown Frankfort, Ky. Hershael York, pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort, confirmed on Twitter Nov….