Nine years after leaders at First Baptist Church of Houston were told about allegations against Paul Pressler for sexually abusing boys and young men, the Texas House of Representatives passed a lengthy resolution of praise for the Houston judge and…
SBC Executive Committee financials missing from online report for third year, while 2022 audit shows trajectory that is ‘not sustainable’
For the third year running, financial reports from the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee are missing from the annual SBC Ministry Reports website. An introductory paragraph to the website says: “The 2024 Ministry Report is the compilation of SBC entity…
Kentucky Supreme Court denies abuse victim’s plea, siding with four SBC entities who were not parties to the case
The Kentucky Supreme Court has sided with four Southern Baptist Convention entities that — among others — sought to deny a sexual abuse victim an extension of the statute of limitations to file a claim against those she believes knew…
Southwestern enrollment stable last year but it’s too early to call that a trend
Enrollment at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary stabilized last year, after a 20-year trend of decline. While one year does not make a trend, the increase of eight students in the seminary’s full-time equivalent headcount as measured by the Southern Baptist…
Of Henry Blackaby and John the Baptist
Mixed emotions nearly kept me from writing this tribute to Henry Blackaby, who died Feb. 10 at age 88. I hadn’t talked to Henry in years, but long ago, when he was at the height of his influence in the…
With three weeks until statewide deadline, school district of ‘chaplain’ bill’s author is set to reject it
The school district that is home to the state senator who got a bill passed last year to allow public schools to hire unlicensed “chaplains” to replace licensed school counselor is poised to reject his plan. Sen. Mayes Middleton lives…
From 1925 to 2024: Why the SBC’s funding formula is being questioned a century later
To understand the behind-the-scenes conflict happening between the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee and some of the SBC’s agencies and institutions, understand first that the devil is in the details. Or in the dollars. Or in lack of trust, once…
Morris Chapman is willing to come off the bench and serve the SBC Executive Committee again
As the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee struggles to find a leader and faces attempts by other agency heads to shutter the central organizing group of the denomination, a former president says he is willing to come back and help…
Saga of Little Rock church’s conflict over sexual abuse claims still making headlines
Conflict over sexual abuse claims at one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in Arkansas continues to make front-page headlines in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which has published 25 articles about Immanuel Baptist Church since December. Seven of those articles have…