It turns out you can “say gay” in Florida’s public schools — just so long as you’re not the teacher presenting classroom content. On Monday, March 12, a settlement was announced between the state of Florida and an LGBTQ group…
There’s a new religious advocacy group with ties to Patterson and Conservative Baptist Network
The latest conservative, pro-family, anti-diversity advocacy group affirmed by the James Dobson Family Institute has distinctive Southern Baptist ties and takes its name from a historic Baptist legacy traditionalists might be surprised to see on such an enterprise. In an…
A word in praise of Baptist Press
File this under “Things I Never Thought I’d See.” Last Friday, the official news service of the Southern Baptist Convention published a 2,300-word news story about the tarnished legacy of Paul Pressler. For the first time, the BP story acknowledges…
The Oscars go to church
This year’s Academy Awards ceremonies made me think about some of the best attributes of church. I cried several times unexpectedly, but that’s just one of the parallels with church. What really got my attention was the personal tributes given…
How does a pastor survive a 59% vote of confidence?
Life moved on, and somehow I missed that two weeks ago the deacons of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., finally took a vote of confidence in Pastor Steven Smith. According to published reports, 59% of those voting supported…
The Department of Justice has closed its investigation of the SBC — maybe?
To add further intrigue to the Southern Baptist Convention’s reckoning with sexual abuse in its churches, the denomination announced March 6 that a federal investigation into the SBC has been closed — but abuse survivors who say they are in…
As Israel bombards Gaza, travel companies are offering ‘solidarity tours’ to Israel
Spaces are filling up fast for Americans traveling to Israel to learn about its war in Gaza and show “solidarity” with the Israeli Defense Forces. Multiple companies are offering “mission” trips to Israel as the nation bombards neighboring Gaza, while…
The Christian case for democracy
For most of my life, American Christians were cheerleaders for democracy. That’s when we were in charge of the democracy. Today, oddly, many conservative Christians no longer believe in or support democracy. They seem to favor a kind of theocracy…
Law partner accused of enabling Pressler appears to have lost primary race for Texas House
The former law partner of Paul Pressler who is accused of supplying Pressler with young interns to be abused by the Southern Baptist judge appears to have lost his campaign for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. As…
To queer or not to queer, that is the question
When it comes to debating LGBTQ inclusion in the church, most folks think the debate is only about whether gays and lesbians can be Christians and whether they and their B, T and Q cohorts should be allowed full participation…
Biden administration has been unable to clean up Trump administration’s mess of family separation, but Trump says he might do it again
Almost half the immigrant children separated from their parents by the Trump administration still haven’t been reunited, according to an investigative report in New York magazine. The Feb. 27 report says more than 5,000 children were taken from their parents…
John MacArthur says MLK was not a Christian and The Gospel Coalition is ‘woke’
The Gospel Coalition is “woke,” and Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t a Christian at all, according to John MacArthur. The influential pastor of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles and host of the “Grace to You” broadcast told members of…