By BNG staff
1. Probation terms altered to permit sex offender pastor to minister to children
A Florida judge changed terms of probation for Darrell Gilyard, a pastor who returned to the pulpit after serving a prison term child sex abuse, allowing his congregation to once more minister to children. By Bob Allen, first appeared April 25, 2014 (25,510 page views)
2. Baptist church ordains transgender woman
Allyson Robinson, a graduate of George W. Truett Theological Seminary previously ordained as a man, made history as the first known transgender person to be ordained as a minister by a Baptist church. By Bob Allen, first appeared July 10, 2014 (21,817 page views)
3. Southern Baptist church takes ‘third way’ on homosexuality
New Heart Community Church of La Mirada, Calif., drew scrutiny from the Southern Baptist Convention after voting in May not to dismiss a pastor who said he had changed his mind about homosexuality being a sin. By Bob Allen, first appeared June 2, 2014 (10,763 page views)
4. ‘Traditional’ Southern Baptists counter Calvinism
New Calvinists are more Calvinist than Calvin was, Christian apologist Norman Geisler said at the inaugural meeting of a group formed to balance various Southern Baptist fellowships that gather under the umbrella known as “young, restless and reformed.” By Bob Allen, first appeared June 9, 2014 (10,552 page views)
5. Baptist leader in Missouri arrested for seeking sex with animal
The misdemeanor arrest of a man caught in a police sting operation trying to solicit sex with a dog took on a life of its own when he was identified as executive director of Windermere Baptist Conference Center. By Vicki Brown, first appeared Aug. 17, 2014 (10,213 page views)
6. Pastor says Obama presidency prophesied
Dwight McKissic, pastor of the 3,000-member Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, believes the Bible predicts an ascendancy of people of African descent prior to the Second Coming of Christ. By Bob Allen, first appeared Jan. 16, 2014 (9,726 page views)
7. Jonathan Merritt admits gay relationship
Release of a new book in July by culture writer Jonathan Merritt revealing personal details from his past renewed attention to this previous story about his controversial “outing” by a gay blogger. By Bob Allen, first appeared July 27, 2012 (9,348 page views)
8. Wendell Berry expounds on gay marriage
Wendell Berry, a Kentucky farmer, essayist, writer and activist sometimes described as a modern-day Thoreau, criticized theological strategies used to marginalize gays in a Georgetown College speech widely viewed as a departure from his previous stance. The story went viral among Berry disciples, garnering more than 105,000 page views to date, the most in ABPnews – now Baptist News Global – history. By Bob Allen, first appeared Jan. 14, 2013 (8,734 page views)
9. Baptist preacher breaks ranks on gay rights
Stan Wilson, pastor at Northside Baptist Church in Clinton, Miss., described his participation in a faith-based LGBT equality education campaign in Mississippi as an expression of neighbor love. By Bob Allen, first appeared Nov.11, 2014 (8,035 page views)
10. Virginia church may look Anglican, but it’s fully Baptist
All Souls Charlottesville, a growing Virginia Baptist church plant, looks Anglican in worship but is true to its Baptist roots. By Jeff Brumley, first appeared March 26, 2014 (7,735 page views)