As protests spread across the country over President Trump’s executive order banning travelers from seven Muslim-majority states from entering the United States, prominent Baptists joined other religious voices speaking out in opposition. Amanda Tyler, the new executive director of the…
‘Black sheep Baptist’ explores inspiration, path to newfound spiritual identity
Justin Cox is a first-year student at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, a Cooperative Baptist Leadership Scholar, and minister to students at First Baptist Church in Statesville, N.C. Not bad for a guy who’s only been Baptist for just…
Missing Burmese pastors in police custody
Two Burmese Baptist pastors missing since Christmas Eve are in police custody and face prison if convicted under a law banning “unlawful association” left over from the era of British colonial rule. The Irrawaddy, a website founded in 1990 by…
More projects, less meetings, a better draw for churches
Closing churches and the rise of the religiously unaffiliated seems like pretty strong evidence that Christianity is going through some pretty dark times. But Kennon Callahan doesn’t buy into that conclusion. “This is a new time,” said Callahan, author of…
Tea Party politician tells Trump opponents to ‘harness their fear’
A Tea Party activist elected as Kentucky’s first African-American lieutenant governor told students at a Baptist university that Christians fearful of the Trump administration are getting a taste of how many conservatives felt under eight years of President Obama. “I…
Transitions for the week of 01.27.17
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly. STAFF CHANGES Gina M. Brock, to Ardmore Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C., as associate pastor. Gerson Garros, to Trinity Baptist Church,…
Supreme Court to consider government funding for faith, and BJC weighs in
Church-state issues can be emotionally, and legally, challenging subjects. They can influence the direction a municipality, state and nation can take on matters of faith and government. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on church-state…
Tennessee GOP leader moves ‘upstream’ to ERLC
The executive director of Tennessee Republican Party has taken a new job with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, Tenn., reported Jan. 25 the hiring of Brent Leatherwood as the…
From the marches: Women’s voices continue in days following historic events
Tens of thousands participated in women’s marches in Washington D.C. and around the nation over the weekend. Social media alone testifies that tens of thousands returned emboldened and inspired the experience. “The women’s marches were a phenomenal success and an…
Baptist columnist says Trump should abandon two-state plan for Israel
An opinion writer for a Kentucky Baptist Convention website says President Trump should move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and abandon hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mark Wohlander, an attorney and…
Trump signs orders supporting controversial oil pipelines
President Donald Trump signed executive acts Jan. 24 to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, reversing Obama administration environmental policies. The order hands a potential defeat to clergy who stood last year with Native American tribes protesting…
IMB trustee resigns over New Jersey mosque flap
A trustee of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board has resigned in protest of the agency’s participation in a legal brief last year supporting construction of a New Jersey mosque. The IMB and SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission…