The man who killed at least four worshipers at a Mormon church in Michigan Sept. 28 displayed a Trump sign outside his home and was known to wear MAGA gear. Authorities have identified Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Mich., as…
J. Alfred Smith remembered as giant among preachers and justice advocates
J. Alfred Smith will be remembered in services Oct. 9 and 10 as one of the most influential Black Baptist pastors of his generation. Smith died Sept. 19 at age 94. The congregation he served across four decades, Allen Temple…
Fellowship Southwest is now FaithWorks
Fellowship Southwest has changed its name to FaithWorks. Launched in 2017 as a project of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Fellowship Southwest has grown in scope and moved beyond its original identity as a network of CBF-related churches in Oklahoma, Texas,…
Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission lauds Kirk, hears from Coach Kennedy
The evangelical Christian church in America is under attack, Jentezen Franklin told members of President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission at the start of their third meeting Sept. 29. “We’re under attack. It’s not coming. It’s here. Our family and…
David Sills won’t press case against Lyell’s estate
Since Jennifer Lyell is dead, David and Mary Sills will not seek legal damages against her estate but they will continue their litigation against the Southern Baptist Convention and 10 other people or entities. Sills, a former professor at Southern…
Samford professor lauds his president for supporting Charlie Kirk
A professor at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School has written an op-ed for The Federalist praising his university president for identifying Charlie Kirk “not as right-wing but as a conservative Christian.” It is not clear where Samford University President Beck…
Trump orders death penalty restored in DC and nationwide
President Donald Trump has signed a memorandum reimplementing the death penalty in the District of Columbia, and the administration said it also will begin pushing capital punishment nationwide. Existing law permitting the federal government to conduct executions for “aggravated crimes”…
Caner removed as Truett-McConnell president
Emir Caner is out as president of Truett McConnell University. His 17-year tenure at the Cleveland, Ga., school came to an abrupt end on Thursday night after a meeting of the university’s 54-member board of trustees. The results of the…
Voddie Baucham dead at 56
Evangelist and theologian Voddie Baucham Jr. died unexpectedly Sept. 25 at age 56. His family said he suffered “an emergency medical incident” and died. The news was reported by Founders Ministries, the group of Southern Baptist Calvinists with which he…
Embattled Oklahoma schools chief leaving post
Ryan Walters will step down as the superintendent of Oklahoma public schools Oct. 1 to lead a conservative organization founded to oppose teachers’ unions and “the liberal, woke agenda” he claims is polluting American education and values. “For decades, union…
Amid LGBTQ controversy, social work dean ‘steps down’ at Baylor
Jon Singletary is out as dean of the Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. Provost Nancy Brickhouse informed faculty Sept. 25 Singletary will “step down” effective Oct. 15. The news came just hours before the Garland School’s Board…
Court stops Trump’s middle-of-the-night deportation of children
Some of President Trump’s immigration policies suffered a setback in one federal court and a victory in another. In one case, a federal judge temporarily barred the administration from swiftly deporting nearly 330 Guatemalan children under the premise of reuniting…