A coalition of business, religious and activist groups has released a comprehensive blueprint for immigration reform it hopes will spur Congress to improve border security while preserving the safety and dignity of migrants. The group of center-right organizations unveiled a…
Oklahoma plans to execute a man who didn’t commit a murder
Death penalty opponents are bracing for the anticipated execution of an Oklahoma man who even the state acknowledges did not kill anyone. Tremane Wood has been on Oklahoma’s Death Row since 2004 for participating in a robbery-turned-homicide in which the…
Transitions for the week of 4-26-24
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Valerie Burton, to Weatherly Heights Baptist Church, Huntsville, Ala., as senior pastor. She comes from Baptist Church of…
Most independent voters don’t believe presidential election will change their lives
In an election year where everyone already seems to have a firm opinion, independent voters stand out as different, according to a new national survey from Navigator. When asked how much thought they’ve given to who they’ll vote for in…
There’s now half a dozen pastors vying to be SBC president
This summer’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting already was going to be one for the history books, and now there’s another reason for that distinction: A record six candidates have now announced their intention to run for the presidency of…
Wissam al-Saliby named president of 21Wilberforce Global Freedom Center
Wissam al-Saliby has been appointed president of the 21Wilberforce Global Freedom Center, following the center’s founder and now president emeritus, Randel Everett. Al-Saliby is an expert in international religious freedom and human rights who brings years of experience in advocating…
Kincaid will lead Baylor’s Institute for Faith and Learning
Elisabeth R. Kincaid has been named director of the Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University, succeeding Darin Davis, who led the program from 2007 to 2023. The Institute for Faith and Learning was founded in 1997 to promote the…
Disinformation campaign uses ‘phony science’ to discredit trans people, researcher says
Right-wing political and religious groups are waging a disinformation campaign based on phony science to dehumanize transgender people and deny them full political and religious status, said Royal G. Cravens III, senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center….
Why did Haynes resign as head of Rainbow PUSH? ‘He did not have the full authority to actually do the job’
Freddie Haynes has been mum on why he abruptly resigned as successor to Jesse Jackson leading the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, but a Chicago columnist is spilling the tea no one wants to talk about. “The issue is not that Haynes…
Conference organizer calls Mark Driscoll to repent over lies about men’s event
Mark Driscoll’s actions at and since the Stronger Men’s Conference are “demonic” and he must be called to repentance, according to the pastor who organized the hyper-masculine event for Christian men. “What Mark had done … was so egregious, attempting…
Christians could bring down the heat on the gun debate, author says
There is a way to reduce the anger and polarization around America’s gun debate by using tenets of faith, according to Michael Austin, author of God and Guns in America. “We really can reduce gun violence in the United States…
Supreme Court hears case that could empower cities to fine people for being homeless
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments April 22 in a case that could decide if homeless people can continue to be fined or jailed for sleeping outdoors even when shelter space is unavailable. Under review are rulings by the…