A 20-year-old youth group volunteer at the nation’s largest Southern Baptist church has been arrested on a charge of sexually assaulting a minor. Leo LaSalle Comissiong III is accused of kissing and fondling a 15-year-old boy in February at the…
Bill would list schools asking for LGBT exemptions to Title IX
A Massachusetts congresswoman has introduced legislation to require the government to publish the names of colleges and universities that request religious exemptions to federal regulations that bar discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) unveiled…
Daniel Berrigan and the seeds of peace
Six weeks ago I planted a whole bed of collard green seeds and not a single one came up. For a Southern boy, this is the sort of thing that raises existential questions. I’m not interested in the why, which…
Downtown churches see strength in missionally minded disciples
First Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., enjoys plenty of blessings as a downtown church, says senior pastor Christopher Chapman. The North Carolina city’s urban core is seeing a surge in residential developments that are luring a wave of Millennials. Nearby…
Theologian says gender identity a ‘last wall’ in civilization
Allowing children to use the public restroom in school that corresponds to their perceived sexual identity if it differs from their birth biology is a line in the sand for Bible-believing Christians, the leader of an organization that affirms that…
Andover Newton enters partnership with Yale
Baptist-affiliated Andover Newton Theological School and Yale Divinity School have signed a letter of intent to enter a two-phase plan toward formal affiliation beginning this fall, administrators at the two schools announced May 2. If the first phase is successful,…
Scissors, faith see barber through challenges
Antonio Galeno swivels the chair and picks up the scissors. He gracefully yet deftly cuts his client’s hair — all while greeting new customers walking through the door. The grin never disappears from his face. He’s worked hard to start…
BJC, others, oppose discrimination by federal contractors
The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty was among 42 religious, education, civil rights, labor and women’s organizations opposing an amendment to a defense policy bill that would exempt religious organizations from a 2014 executive order by President Obama barring…
Positive mental health: how can clergy tap into it?
As the minister for care ministries at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Tiffany Wright’s job is to support people who are experiencing crises in their lives. A year and a half ago, however, Wright’s father died and it was her…
Arrest made in Philly church shooting
Criminal charges have been filed in a fatal shooting that took place inside a Southern Baptist church in Pennsylvania during a Sunday morning worship service April 24. Mark Storms, 46, of Landsdale, Pa., was arraigned April 28 on charges of…
Faith leaders denounce Trump’s ‘call to bigotry’
Fifty-five faith leaders invoked the memory of martyred Hitler opponent Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a proclamation April 28 denouncing presidential candidate Donald Trump. “Donald Trump directly promotes racial and religious bigotry, disrespects the dignity of women, harms civil public discourse, offends…
Retirement means little to Texan recalled to coaching at 78
Arlen White isn’t much one for slowing down. The 81-year-old Texan has been everything from a bus ministry director and counselor to a disaster relief leader and a county judge since “retiring” as a public school basketball coach in 1986….