Evangelist Franklin Graham, on his way to Puerto Rico for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s first Festival of Hope event in 2017, said Wednesday on social media that God uses “extreme vetting” in deciding who gets into heaven. “I’m on…
Transitions for the week of 02.10.17
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly. STAFF CHANGES Dennis Bazemore, to Murfreesboro (N.C.) Baptist Church, as interim pastor. Larry Fields, to Smithwood Baptist Church, Knoxville, Tenn.,…
A not-so-hot reaction to Trump’s promise to fuse church and politics
Donald Trump has vowed to “destroy” federal rules prohibiting religious groups from engaging in partisan politics. Politically conservative Christians may favor the idea of church and state being connected at the hip. They may perceive it as translating into more…
Banned by LifeWay, hip-hop artist says white evangelicals don’t get black culture
A popular hip-hop artist whose album was dropped by Southern Baptist retailer LifeWay Christian Stores after customer complaints says white evangelicals are trying to reach people in urban contexts without understanding their culture. Amisho Baraka Lewis, a 38-year-old Christian hip-hop…
Most faith groups value formal education, new research shows
There are times when mixing religion and education is desirable. And there are times when it isn’t. Critics of Betsy DeVos have claimed the nation’s new education secretary is definitely an example of the latter. From her nomination last month…
Baptists withdraw support for Franklin Graham rally in Puerto Rico
Baptists in Puerto Rico have withdrawn support for Franklin Graham’s Feb. 10-12 Festival of Hope evangelistic rally in San Juan in protest of the evangelist’s endorsement of anti-immigration policies espoused by President Donald Trump. The executive minister and the president…
Faith-based groups lead the way in serving nation’s homeless
Religious groups lead the way in cutting-edge approaches to serving the homeless, according to new research. The Baylor University study, which was released Feb. 1, illuminates the energy and innovation churches and other faith-based organizations commonly devote to people living…
Wiley Drake, city, at odds over homeless shelter
A former Southern Baptist Convention official says he will resist any attempt by city officials to enforce an order to close a homeless shelter located on church property. Citing the First and Fifth amendments to the U.S. Constitution, Pastor Wiley…
BWA criticizes Muslim travel ban
A worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations criticized the United States for issuing a blanket travel ban on refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim nations. The Baptist World Alliance, with 235 member groups representing over 45 million baptized…
White Christian America declining, but still packs punch
Conservative evangelicals have lost their cultural and political clout as their numbers and vitality wane, author Robert Jones argues in his book The End of White Christian America. The book was published in the summer of 2016 — just a few…
Head of Baptist advocacy group says Johnson Amendment good for churches
The head of a Baptist group dedicated to religious freedom opposed President Trump’s vow to overturn a law that prohibits churches and other tax-exempt organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates in a statement Feb. 3. “Politicizing churches does them…
Volunteers in refugee programs fulfilling biblical mandate to care for strangers
After President Trump’s executive orders, the future of U.S. refugee resettlement programs is uncertain. This is the second in a series on what that might mean for Syrians fleeing their war-torn country. Tomorrow: Refugee resettlement programs are endangered, thanks to Trump. How do they currently operate?