A Black Baptist has been named president of the nondenominational Fuller Seminary, marking the first time the school will be led by anyone other than a white male and the third time a Baptist will take the helm. David Emmanuel…
48-year-old pastor ‘retires’ from Texas megachurch, citing failing health, but will become a vice president at NAMB
The 48-year-old pastor of one of the largest churches in the Southern Baptist Convention told his congregation Sept. 11 he will “retire” as their pastor due to serious health problems but will continue his ministry as vice president for church…
What the color chart teaches us about surviving in a ‘purple’ church
What follows is a real-life, real-time text report coming to me last Sunday morning from a young adult I know who was in attendance at one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in America. Please keep in mind, this was…
It’s not ‘I shall overcome’ but ‘we shall overcome,’ Kamala Harris tells National Baptists
“When people of faith come together, anything is possible. Everything is possible. That is the power of faith,” U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told the National Baptist Convention USA in a keynote address Sept. 8. Harris, who is a Baptist, spoke to…
A friend defends Matt Chandler, the elders issue a statement, and nothing else is any clearer
If you thought the Matt Chandler situation couldn’t get more peculiar, guess again. Chandler’s Aug. 28 announcement that he would take an indefinite leave of absence from preaching and teaching at The Village Church north of Dallas has generated endless…
What’s wrong with the ‘you’re being divisive’ argument
Pastors, of all people, should recognize this deflection for what it is. It’s a dirty trick they suffer from all the time. The pastor gets up the courage to speak actual truth about some situation — most likely a sermon…
Kansas school district gives $95,000 to teacher who violated its own policies on student names and gender
A Kansas middle school teacher who refused to call transgender or nonbinary students by their preferred names and pronouns has been financially rewarded for her defiance of school district policy — by the school district. Teacher Pamela Ricard will get…
Faison nominated to lead Virginia convention
For the first time in its 200-year history, the Baptist General Association of Virginia could be led by someone other than a white male. The BGAV Executive Board Aug. 30 nominated Wayne D. Faison for election as the state Baptist…
Just what we needed: Another pompous declaration from the conservative Calvinist evangelicals
The Christians who keep abusing their privilege to demand everyone else conform to their narrow views of culture and politics have released a new “declaration” against the abuse of power. As if the world needed one more declaration from the…