A federal judge has ruled that requiring a mosque to have more parking spaces than churches or synagogues is unconstitutional, citing in part a friend-of-the-court brief filed by a diverse coalition of civil rights and religious groups including the Baptist…
Small churches should resolve in 2017 not to mimic megachurches, expert says
One of the best resolutions small churches can make in 2017 is to stop comparing themselves to megachurches. But they might be tempted to make those comparisons after a study discovered that large congregations enjoy a steady influx of unchurched…
Senators question Trump’s pick to head EPA
Six Democratic senators are asking Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency to answer questions about whether his ties to the fossil fuel industry might influence his work before confirmation hearings begin. Members of the Senate Environment and…
Baptist lawmaker seeks to remove the state from marriage debate
A Southern Baptist lawmaker is proposing a truce in the political battle over same-sex marriage by getting the state government out of the business of issuing marriage licenses altogether. Missouri State Rep. T.J. Berry, a member and deacon at First…
Working for justice is path to peace in 2017, spiritual leaders say
Scrolling through the list of celebrities who died in 2016 seems to take, depressingly, forever. There also were the personal losses and, for many, a political and cultural landscape that seems upside-down. And those are just the personal and domestic…
Our most-read articles of 2016
Here are most-read opinion and news headlines from 2016, as reported by Google Analytics. Seven things I’m learning about transgender persons In a May 15 article and follow-up, Mark Wingfield shared his perspective as a straight male trying to understand…
Theologian says God not in control
A Baptist theologian who spent a quarter century reformulating the Christian doctrine of providence says most mainline theology about evil, suffering and God’s goodness is wrong. “We’re still living in the 21st century with a vision of God in relationship…
The ethics of love and justice in the era of cohabitation
Christians who advocate “biblical marriage” should acknowledge the traditional view of marriage is a recent development and only one of many biblical models, say some ethicists. The third in a series on the changing shape of one of society’s most ancient institutions.
2016 saw the deaths of a number of notable Baptists in the U.S.
Here is a wrap up of deaths of notable Baptists reported this year by Baptist News Global.
What’s love got to do with it?
Throughout most of Western history, including Western Christianity, the idea of love was typically not a factor in marital dreams or decisions. Love might grow within a marriage, but men and women married out of family duty. How did that change? The second in a series on the changing shape of one of society’s most ancient institutions.
Pastor says losing ERLC head would set back race relations
A black Southern Baptist pastor says recent talk of firing Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission head Russell Moore sends a message to ethnic minorities they are welcome in the Southern Baptist Convention only if they toe the political line. Dwight…
Marriage: The state of our unions
Love, marriage, sex and parenting comprise what many Christians believe is “traditional marriage,” unchanged since the Garden of Eden. Yet for most societies throughout history, including most Christian ones, the expectation that all four could be confined to one relationship was considered impractical, irrational or at best undesirable. The first in a series on the changing shape of one of society’s most ancient institutions.