The Southern Baptist Convention is on track to have its most attended and most consequential annual meeting in 25 years when it gathers in Nashville June 15-16. Ronnie Floyd, president of the SBC Executive Committee, announced on Twitter that pre-registration…
The saga of Southwestern Seminary and the Pattersons just got stranger, and it’s all in the SBC Book of Reports
In an exceptionally rare move, the administration of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has used its annual report to the Southern Baptist Convention to accuse its former president of theft. Although rumors and intimations of the current seminary administration’s displeasure with…
Baylor, ‘biblical sexuality’ and the good news
On May 14, the Baylor University board of regents released a statement on human sexuality and identity. In it, the regents affirmed the dignity of all students “regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” committed to providing a supportive educational…
Jeffress warns parents not to send their kids to Baylor’s ‘infidels’
As news of Baylor University’s “possible” sanction of a campus group for LGBTQ students spread across the nation, the Texas Baptist school continued to be criticized from both sides of the debate. The high-profile critique of the Waco, Texas, school…
Baylor walks the line on LGBTQ student group as critics pounce from the right
Buried 14 paragraphs into a lengthy news release about the spring Baylor board of regents meeting was a notice of approval for “guiding principles” of “caring for all students, including LGBTQ students.” The news didn’t stay buried for long, however,…
Methodists still follow John Wesley’s rules — mostly
Many of today’s United Methodists may not recognize it, but they’re still following the framework of Christian discipleship their founder John Wesley laid down for his “united societies” in the 18th century. The framework, known as “The General Rules,” comprises…
Apartheid in Palestine and a Christ who stands on the other side of the wall
Today, the Holy Land burns. The latest round of evictions of Palestinians from their homes in favor of the illegal Israeli settlement of the Occupied Territories predictably has led to violence which has, equally predictably, spiraled into death and destruction…
Now there appear to be three paths for once-united Methodists
For more than half a century, leaders of The United Methodist Church have seen the denomination as a “big tent,” a place where different theological and ecclesiastical identities could co-exist and perhaps even co-mingle as a single entity. Now that…
Faith leaders call on Americans to ‘welcome the stranger’ as Biden administration announces new refugee admissions cap
The Biden administration has announced it will raise the refugee admissions cap to 62,500 for the current fiscal year and to 125,000 for the 2022 fiscal year. This is a welcome and much-needed step as it follows a months-long delay…