Does getting a college education in a faith-based context develop more virtuous graduates? Baylor University researchers have been given a $2.7 million grant to find out. The John Templeton Foundation has awarded the grant to Baylor — a Baptist-affiliated school…
Charitable giving bounces back in 2021 but more for secular than sacred causes
Americans’ giving to charitable causes bounced back in 2021 after a dip at the start of the pandemic, but most of the recovery was in the secular nonprofit world, not the religion sector. New data from Gallup show 81% of…
Amid SBC’s sexual abuse reckoning, a NAMB senior vice president and a Southwestern professor will appear on preaching program with Patterson and Vines
Fired Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson, who was accused of mishandling knowledge of sexual abuse cases at two Southern Baptist Convention seminaries, is back on the speaking circuit. Next month, he’ll join a senior vice president of the…
SBC’s sexual abuse investigation has gathered 4 terabytes of data and already produced about 100 interviews
The outside firm leading an investigation into alleged mishandling of sexual abuse claims by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has received more than 4 terabytes of data and has conducted or scheduled more than 100 one-on-one interviews. These data…
Anonymous group calls for more transparency from SBC’s North American Mission Board
A group that has been dogging the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board for alleged abuses launched a new “whistleblower” website Feb. 7. The site includes links to previous articles and new content created by a group called Reform…
It’s time to stop the insanity that is killing public education
I am the child of a public schoolteacher. I am the parent of a son who has been a public schoolteacher and who remains a private instructor in a public high school. Many dear friends are public schoolteachers. As a…
Texas Baptist Congressman attacks public school advocacy group on Twitter
A Southern Baptist Congressman from Texas has taken to Twitter to attack a group of Texas pastors advocating for public education. Chip Roy, who represents Texas’ 21st Congressional district, is a member of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin. Hyde…
One in 10 Black Americans are now foreign-born; here’s why that matters to the right-wing backlash against immigration
When Americans debate about immigration, they most often think of people coming from Mexico and other Latin American countries. Seldom do they first think of Black migrants. Yet Pew Research Center reports that today one in 10 Black people in…
Baptist pastor Wade Burleson running for Congress from Oklahoma
A well-known Oklahoma Baptist pastor announced Feb. 1 that he will challenge a 28-year incumbent to represent the state’s Third Congressional District. If elected, Wade Burleson would be the second Oklahoma Baptist pastor currently serving in Congress; Oklahoma Sen. James…
Alliance of Baptists shifts again to online gathering
The Alliance of Baptists announced Jan. 31 that it has scuttled plans for an in-person annual meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, in April due to continued concerns about the pandemic. “The Alliance is committed to making every space as equitable…
Another key leader at SBC Executive Committee resigns
Another top-level leader with the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee is leaving his post — after only 15 months on the job. However, unlike others who have recently left the Executive Committee staff, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Pearson made it…
Jewish couple sues after United Methodist agency receiving taxpayer funding refuses to help them adopt a disabled child
Among the core beliefs espoused by Holston United Methodist Home for Children in Tennessee are assertions that “it is the birthright of every child to have a family” and that “the best place for a child to be raised is…