Editor’s note: Late Friday, Feb. 21, the Trump administration appears to have rescinded its stop-work order and will allow legal representation for unaccompanied minors to resume. We will update this story as more information becomes available. As part of…
That time Freddie Haynes preached like Jeremiah Wright
Sometimes writing a news story is not sufficient to convey the importance of an event. This is one of those times. The emotion of what I witnessed in Little Rock, Ark., today cannot be conveyed in a cut-and-dried news story….
Trump executive order on IVF reopens debate among ‘pro-life’ viewpoints
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Feb. 18 seeking to expand access to in vitro fertilization, opening a potentially controversial debate among his core constituency of evangelical Christians. The “pro-life” movement is divided on IVF, with some seeing it…
Evangelical supporters silent — again — as Trump rewrites Ukrainian history
Evangelical leaders did not jump to President Donald Trump’s defense when he declared Feb. 19 Ukraine provoked Russia’s invasion and ought to accede to Vladimir Putin. His most ardent evangelical supporters were mysteriously silent, and evangelical leaders who have called…
Matt Queen’s attorney asks judge for leniency in sentencing
The former Southern Baptist seminary professor who has admitted to lying to the FBI about documentation of alleged sexual abuse by a student should not be imprisoned for his crime, his attorney wrote in a letter to the judge Feb….
SBC Executive Committee can’t cover expenses, seeks extra $3 million
This story was updated Feb. 19 to include a clarification on staff compensation at the SBC Executive Committee. The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee cannot meet its financial obligations this year and needs $3 million in “priority funding” from…
Bishop Budde’s sermon, one month later
Unless you’ve been in a coma, you’re no doubt aware of the sermon Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde gave at a “Service of Prayer for the Nation” held at Washington National Cathedral Jan. 21. The bishop preached a gospel message and…
Trump on Mount Rushmore, Trump birthday federal holiday and more
The attempted deification of Donald Trump and the legislation of Christian nationalism continued unabated last week in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures. Even as Trump declared on social media, “He who saves his country does not violate any law,”…
Texas Supreme Court says Patterson may be held liable for defamation
Paige Patterson may be held liable for defamatory actions taken by others on his behalf, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Feb. 14. That’s bad news for Patterson, former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his former chief of staff,…
Five years after closing seminary, HSU makes Logsdon School of Theology its own college
Exactly five years after voting to close its Logsdon Seminary, trustees of Hardin-Simmons University voted Feb. 6 to make the Logsdon School of Theology its own college within the university. The Abilene, Texas, university made national headlines Feb. 7, 2020,…
White Christian leaders in South Africa refute Trump’s claims
More than 300 white Christian leaders in South Africa have signed a statement rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that white people are being victimized there. On Friday, Feb. 7, Trump signed an executive order “to address serious human rights…
Democracy Forward sues Trump administration to keep CFPB operating
The legal advocacy group seeking to stop the Trump administration from making ICE raids in houses of worship now seeks to stop the White House from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Democracy Forward, based in Washington, D.C., filed suit…