Survivors of child sexual abuse are attempting to enact laws in Missouri and Texas to change the legal landscape for Christian camps that cater to children and teens. Four witnesses who say they were abused at Kanakuk Kamps, a popular…
Great Rivers Fellowship names Caldwell, McNary as first staff leaders
Great Rivers Fellowship, a new Cooperative Baptist Fellowship regional organization formed by the merger of CBF units in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, has elected its first staff leaders. Mississippi native Brittany Caldwell, a program coordinator and pastor who most recently…
Beth Allison Barr and Kristin Du Mez: The history of women, patriarchy, inequality and challenging conservative views
Historians, academics and authors Beth Allison Barr and Kristin Kobes Du Mez discussed the challenges and rewards of being Christian women in a male-oriented world and profession during a wide-ranging discussion at Baylor University Feb. 16. Barr, the James Vardaman…
Fear lies at the core of racism in the church and society, Beth Moore tells Truett audience
White evangelicals who claim they love the Bible but dismiss its demands for social justice as devious misinterpretations of “woke” culture continue to astound Beth Moore, she told participants in a conference sponsored by Baylor University’s George W. Truett Seminary….
Benkert resigns SBC task force amid criticism for reporting two churches that platformed accused sexual abuser
An Indiana pastor who reported two congregations to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Credentials Committee for platforming accused sexual abuser Johnny Hunt has resigned from the SBC’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force. Todd Benkert’s sudden resignation from the task force came…
Jacksonville church isn’t the only SBC congregation requiring members to affirm statements on sexuality
When First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Fla., announced all members would have to sign a statement on “biblical sexuality” or be kicked out, the idea sounded novel to most Baptists. Baptists in America are not accustomed to being required to…
Control and abuse: Report sheds new light on the beginnings of L’Arche and the life and legacy of Jean Vanier, its founder
Jean Vanier, the renowned and beloved author, speaker and founder of L’Arche, an international network of residential communities supporting adults with intellectual disabilities, also was a sexual predator of women, according to a report released Jan. 30. The report was…
Failure to love neighbor leads to racism and sexism, Houston pastor tells Baylor conference
The church’s failure to care for all people with the compassion Christ commanded fuels white supremacy and racial injustice, Sean Palmer said during a Baylor University conference on racism and faith. “It’s the failure to love neighbor that has always…
American teenagers prefer to affiliate with congregations that support social justice causes and mental health
A quarter of the world’s teenagers say the church has “definitely” lost its effectiveness as a force against injustice, poverty and environmental challenges, new research shows. But in the United States, Generation Z is more optimistic about organized religion’s role…
There’s ‘no evidence’ Johnny Hunt committed sexual abuse, says Florida church that cleared him and invited him to preach
A Florida church that recently platformed Johnny Hunt — and whose pastor chaired Hunt’s self-appointed “restoration” committee — has told the Southern Baptist Convention Credentials Committee it has no authority over them and has no evidence Hunt is guilty of…
The pandemic gave Jim Cymbala a new window on church
As Pastor Jim Cymbala sat looking through the windows of his condo in Florida that day in March 2020, he knew the world never would be the same. “I went down on March 8, 2020, to get away and planned…
Transitions for the week of 2-17-23
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Carlton Allen, to First Baptist Church, Greenwood, S.C., as interim pastor. Ashley Boschen, concluding her tenure as associate…