Charles G. Adams, retired pastor of Detroit’s influential Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, died Nov. 29 at age 86. He was a respected leader not only in Detroit but nationally, including longtime service on the board of Baptist Joint Committee for…
SBC Executive Committee files amicus brief supporting NAMB against Will McRaney
The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention has weighed in with a legal brief defending the SBC North American Mission Board in a defamation lawsuit brought against NAMB by Will McRaney, former leader of the Baptist Convention of Maryland…
National leader of Chi Alpha resigns as sex abuse scandal looms
The national director of a college ministry that has been embroiled in scandal in Texas resigned Nov. 20, according to reporting by The Christian Post, a conservative online publication. Scott Martin had led Chi Alpha, a 300-campus ministry of the…
Alabama Supreme Court declines to stop Samford from taking house of former fraternity
Samford University has won a 12-year battle for control of a million-dollar property once home to a now-banned fraternity on campus. The latest development in the saga of the Lambda Chi Alpha house came almost 12 years to the day…
If the Sinner’s Prayer is the only way to salvation, why isn’t it in the Bible?
One night recently, I was speaking by phone with the adult son of a man whose funeral I would officiate a few days later. While getting to know the family and the deceased in preparation for these “pick up” funerals…
Even as Biden supports their interest in Israel, white evangelicals disapprove of his job performance
White evangelical Christians — the core supporters of Donald Trump — overwhelmingly disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing, but also strongly disapprove of his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, which many Democrats complain has…
As SBC moves toward second vote on Law Amendment, debate continues on just what it means
Just how restrictive will the Southern Baptist Convention become if messengers to next summer’s SBC annual meeting approve a second reading of a proposed constitutional amendment against women in ministry? It depends on who’s doing the explaining. One of the…
Hawks and Felton to lead CBF advocacy efforts
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is expanding its advocacy work with the addition of two new staff members announced Nov. 30. Jennifer Hawks, associate general counsel for Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C., has been named CBF’s director…
‘Pastor Johnny’ wins a bid to unseal Guidepost documents
Of the more than two dozen legal cases currently pending in courts against the Southern Baptist Convention or its entities, one takes particular aim at the work of Guidepost Solutions, the independent researcher that produced the scathing report of mishandled…
Professors defend Thomas Jefferson from Christian nationalism
The evangelical narrative of one of America’s Founding Fathers continues to be so historically inaccurate that a duo of authors has released an updated version of their book defending the real legacy of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson definitely was not a…
Judge rules discovery may continue in Sillses’ lawsuit against SBC parties
One of the multiple lawsuits currently pending against the Southern Baptist Convention and its various agencies got a green light to continue Nov. 22, despite objections that the case is “frivolous” and legal discovery could cause harm. U.S. District Judge…
Five truths about church committees and their work
It’s that time of year again when faithful church members might receive phone calls or emails with special invitations for the year ahead: “We’d like you to serve on a church committee or ministry team.” The “we” in a traditional…