A Missouri Baptist Convention-engineered proposal to strengthen religious liberty protections in the state constitution died April 27 when it failed to win a majority vote from the House Committee on Emerging Issues. “I am sorry to report that freedom suffered…
Mohler says Hastert conviction a morality tale
Wednesday’s sentencing of former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert in a hush money case involving sexual abuse serves as a lesson for all, says a Southern Baptist seminary president criticized two weeks ago for introducing a speaker publicly identified…
Transitions for the week of 04.29.16
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly. STAFF CHANGES H. B. Jackie Allen Jr., to Grassfield Baptist Church, Chesapeake, Va., as interim pastor. Caleb Bittler, resigning as…
Baptist-Muslim scholar swap produces dialogue on Jesus, the Trinity and religious violence
A scholar swap between a Baptist seminary in Georgia and an Islamic university in India uncovered a mirror image of mistrust and confusion between Christians and Muslims in both countries. The professors — Loyd Allen of Mercer University’s McAfee School of…
Christians from U.S., Holy Land, pledge to work together for Mideast peace
Christian churches have a responsibility to work for a lasting peace in the Middle East and advocate for a two-state solution to chronic conflict in the Holy Land, 40 church leaders from various traditions agreed during an April 19-20 summit…
N.C. Baptist church joins fight against transgender bathroom bill
More than 50 people were arrested Monday night at the North Carolina state capitol in a protest of the state’s new law curtailing LGBT protections — a protest organized in a town hall meeting last week at Raleigh’s Pullen Memorial Baptist…
For Raleigh church, self-examination was key to surviving identity crisis
When a small group of members at Hayes Barton Baptist Church claimed the Raleigh, N.C., congregation was sliding from its Baptist moorings into the arms of the “emergent church” movement, their agitation threatened the congregation’s stability and forced deep self-examination. Hayes Barton…
Lawyer says Glorieta lawsuit should be revived
A Houston lawyer says a federal appeals court should reinstate an Arkansas couple’s dismissed lawsuit against LifeWay Christian Resources, because the district court did not grant them enough leeway in trying to argue their case without the aid of legal…
Police investigating Baptist church homicide
Gunfire interrupted the 11 a.m. Sunday worship service at a large Southern Baptist church in suburban Philadelphia April 24, leaving one church member dead and investigators trying to decide whether to bring charges against another. Authorities say Robert Braxton, 27,…
2 Baptist groups, longtime friends, make relationship official
Cooperative and Progressive Baptists in Georgia have formalized a long-standing friendship, clearing the way for deeper relationships and shared ministries across the state. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia and New Era Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia — an affiliate of…
Baptist founder still speaking after 400 years, says European leader
The message of Thomas Helwys — a founder of the Baptist denomination and one of the first Englishmen to state explicitly that people of any religion should be free to exercise their faith without government interference — is as relevant today…
ERLC says taxpayer funding of recycled tires on church playground not an establishment of religion
Churches should be allowed to participate in government programs on equal footing with other civic organizations, the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy agency argued April 21. The SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission filed a brief in a case before the…