Eighty-three nations have an official, state-endorsed religion or give preferred treatment to one over others, according to a Pew Research Center study, which lists the United States among 106 countries that have no official or preferred faith. But is that changing? It might appear so, as the increasingly rapid descent of organized religion may be fueling some Christians’ drive to codify faith in America.
Baptist ethicist says values voters should care about torture
A Baptist ethicist urged “values voters” who care about morality and believe in the sanctity of human life to hold lawmakers accountable for mistreatment of war on terror detainees during a hearing looking into one state’s role in a controversial CIA torture program used after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Ready to ‘welcome the stranger,’ Baptist church invites Muslim spiritual leader to preach Advent service
Some folks may be stunned to learn that a Baptist church in Charlotte, N.C., has invited a Muslim to preach from its pulpit on the first Sunday in Advent. But the idea seemed a natural one for the congregation, given its 2017 preaching and formational theme titled “Awakening to Immigration.”
State Baptist group says Nashville Statement is ‘without error’
Southern Baptists in Arkansas recently endorsed a controversial statement released by a coalition of evangelical leaders in August that says the Bible does not leave room for people to identify as both Christian and gay.
Transitions for the week of 12.01.17
Staff changes, congregational news and more from across the nation.
Cross is ‘preeminent symbol’ of Christianity and should be removed from public park, say church-state watchdogs
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.