Pastors guilty of sexual abuse never should be restored to ministry, Baylor University professor and author Beth Allison Barr wrote for a news service in the United Kingdom Dec. 9. The opinion piece published by Premier Christianity addresses the case…
Baylor study finds — surprisingly — that student athletes express higher levels of religious belief
Student athletes at Baylor University demonstrate higher levels of religious belief, participation and identity than their non-athlete counterparts at least in part because the Baptist school is successfully balancing faith and athletics, according to a study published last month in…
Ten years after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Americans remain worried yet divided on the issue of gun violence
It’s been 10 years since 20 first graders and six adults were killed during a tragic attack by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School. News of the shooting shocked the nation. The event was one of the deadliest school…
White House approves 18-month extension of TPS for Haitian refugees as conditions worsen
The White House this week approved 18 months of additional Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals already in the U.S. and opened the door for newer arrivals to apply for the legal protection assuming they entered the country before Nov…
Houston pastor has a word of witness about the Bushes
Russell Levenson, pastor of Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, sees himself as an eyewitness to history as the pastor of former President George H.W. Bush. Levenson has written a book in which he reflects on the character and kindness…
McRaney trial finally gets a date, and NAMB is compelled to expand the scope of its documentation
After five years of legal wrangling, a new date has been set for the case brought by Will McRaney against the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. And that date, ironically, falls the week before the SBC annual meeting….
As Americans celebrate release of Brittney Griner, some conservatives openly criticize her freedom
Former Baylor University basketball superstar Brittney Griner has been released from captivity in Russia in a prisoner swap involving a Russian arms dealer, President Joe Biden announced Dec. 8. “She’s safe. She’s on a plane. She’s on her way home…
Alliance of Baptists steps into anti-racism work
The coming year will be filled with the challenge of intense anti-slavery work for the Alliance of Baptists if its 2022 fall gathering was any indication. The session was held Nov. 10-12 in Montgomery, Ala., where about 150 participants attended…
While many evangelical leaders are wary of Trump’s 2024 run, this Oklahoma pastor has launched a fan club
While many of Donald Trump’s former evangelical pastor supporters have distanced themselves from his run for the presidency in 2024, one failed candidate for the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma has launched a new Trump fan club. Jackson Lahmeyer, pastor of…
Anthony Everett will coordinate Baptist Seminary of Kentucky’s Siloam Project
Anthony Everett, a human rights advocate, public theologian and congregational coach/consultant, has been appointed to the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky staff as coordinator of the school’s Siloam Project, effective Dec. 15. Everett comes to his new role from service as…
Iranian officials reportedly suspend morality police after three months of protests
On Dec. 3, Iran’s Attorney General Mohammad Javad Montazeri made remarks indicating the morality police will be suspended. Montazeri spoke during a religious conference on Saturday “where officials were discussing the unrest” following the death of Mahsa Amini while in…
USCIRF ‘outraged’ by omission of Nigeria and India from State Department’s List of Countries of Particular Concern
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has expressed outrage that the U.S. Department of State did not include Nigeria or India in its latest designations of Countries of Particular Concern. Although a government organization, the USCIRF does not have the same…