The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has joined 13 other religious and civil rights organizations urging a federal appeals court to uphold a lower court ruling finding a cross erected on public land in Pensacola, Fla., is unconstitutional.
Baptist ethicist says ‘egalitarian theology’ a safeguard against abuse
The incoming head of a Baptist ethics agency says church teaching that subordinates women is partly to blame for the rash of allegations of sexual abuse by powerful men in media, business and politics.
Richard Land challenges Roy Moore to take lie detector test
A former Southern Baptist Convention executive and current adviser to President Trump says a lie detector test would clear up questions about whether multiple claims of sexual abuse being made against U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore are true.
Transitions for the week of 11.24.17
Staff changes, congregational news and more from across the nation.
Two Alabama clergy groups decry sexual assault, but only one of them names Roy Moore
Five dozen progressive Christian ministers — eight of them Baptists — signed an open letter over the weekend saying U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore is unfit for office, while nearly 100 Southern Baptists in Alabama added their names to a separate missive denouncing sexual abuse and harassment of women without mentioning anyone by name.
Revamped ‘settlement house movement’ fosters faith-based approach to social work, community engagement
Kendall Ellis is embarked on a quest to discern her vocation. She has joined other “settlers” who live at Good Neighbor House in Waco, Texas, spending a year planning and hosting meetings of neighborhood groups and encouraging other activities aimed at fostering relationships throughout the area.
After Sutherland Springs, faith leaders urge Congress to act against gun violence
A coalition of 50 faith groups, including the Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist Home Mission Societies and Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, urged leaders in Congress to take immediate action to curb gun violence in response to the Nov. 5 slaughter of 26 people attending worship at a small-town Southern Baptist church in Texas.
More evidence religion is declining — and that’s OK with these pastors
A computer scientist who crunched the numbers on American religion says the decline of faith will accelerate during the next 20 years. But is decreasing religiosity and increasing secularization such a bad thing? Some clergy don’t think so.
Transitions for the week of 11.17.17
Staff changes, congregational news and more from across the nation.
Letters to the Editor
The latest from our readers: • Why not a standing committee to deal with clergy sex abuse reports? | Christa Brown • ‘Shoe boxes’ article helpful, but too negative | Karen Dahl, Sandy, Utah
State Baptist body weighs disqualifying CBF churches
A Southern Baptist state convention is considering kicking out cooperating churches that are also aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Baptist convention in Tennessee boots church for calling woman as pastor
More than 850 Baptists from 390 churches in Tennessee debated 15 minutes before voting overwhelmingly Nov. 14 to shun a historic east Tennessee congregation for calling a woman as senior pastor.