The Southern Baptist Convention is so big and its empire so far-reaching that it’s hard to get true perspective on its scope and trends. One of the few snapshots to give insight is the Book of Reports, published just prior…
Exiles from Immanuel Baptist find new life at a historic Baptist church in Little Rock
The sexual abuse schism that has rocked one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in Arkansas is now bringing new life to a Baptist church building with a different kind of history. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported May 19 that about…
Pew poll confirms other studies: Most Americans favor legal abortion
The evangelical obsession with outlawing abortion remains vastly out of step with the majority of Americans, according to new national polling by Pew Research. This new data corresponds to other national polls, including those by Public Religion Research Institute, that…
PCA cancels panel discussion after uproar over David French
David French appears to be persona non grata in the Presbyterian denomination he called home until recently. French, a conservative columnist for The New York Times, was a darling of political and theological conservatives until he and his wife, Nancy…
Evangelical Christian Mike Johnson goes to Trump’s trial to say how unjust it is
First they amplified his false claims of election fraud, now a growing number of Republican leaders are supporting Donald Trump’s claims that the entire U.S. legal system is corrupt because he has been put on trial. Speaker of the House…
The story of Solid Rock Church increasingly appears to be built on sinking sand
The story of the South Carolina pastor accused of grooming and abusing his wife before she allegedly took her own life keeps changing every day. Mica Miller’s plight has drawn international headlines since she was found in another state dead…
How Southern Baptists got ‘distracted’ from the gospel
What do you think might count as a “distraction” from the gospel? To Southern Baptist Convention presidential candidate David Allen, all the sexual abuse cases piling up against the SBC and its churches are a “distraction.” To North American Mission…
Ezell writes state convention leaders to offer ‘helpful information’ on McRaney case
After a long period of public silence about the defamation case brought against him and the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board, Kevin Ezell sent a message to state Baptist convention executives May 10 offering “helpful information in case…
Stiver named president of Fletcher Seminary
Dan Stiver has been named president of Fletcher Seminary, the new Texas-based school created after the closure of Logsdon Seminary in Abilene. He succeeds the school’s founding dean, Donald Williford, who has retired and been named president emeritus. Stiver has…
Concerned about antisemitism? Look at Donald Trump’s record, House member says
Republicans concerned about antisemitism on school campuses should show concern first for their party’s presumptive presidential nominee, a Democratic representative declared May 8. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., is the ranking Democratic member of the K-12 Subcommittee of the House Education…
SBC membership declines again but not as much, while number of churches still decreasing
The bad news for the Southern Baptist Convention is that membership declined for the 17th consecutive year. The good news is that last year’s 1.8% decrease was less than recent years. Those are among findings from the SBC’s Annual Church…
Open letter to NAMB trustees warns of dangers in NAMB’s defense of McRaney case
A group of 60 Southern Baptist leaders, including a former president of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, has published an open letter warning of widespread dangers they see in a currently pending court case. At issue is Will McRaney’s case…