The Mississippi Senate has passed what critics call the most sweeping anti-LGBT legislation in the United States, sponsored by a Baptist layman who is a trustee at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, a member and former…
Abuse survivors want conference speaker removed
A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is asking organizers of an upcoming religious conference to revoke a speaking invitation to a pastor accused of concealing multiple sex crimes. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said March…
SEC says ExxonMobil must allow proxy vote on climate change
The Securities and Exchange Commission ruled March 22 that ExxonMobil must allow shareholders to vote on a climate change resolution, pleasing groups that advocate socially responsible investing. The SEC said the company must allow stockholders to vote on a series…
What’s driving religious freedom debate in the U.S.? Fear, say some.
It was just about a year ago when Baptist writer and minister Corey Fields wrote a column critiquing a spate of “religious freedom” bills pushed through statehouses around the country. Indiana’s version was one of the more high-profile measures. It…
Political organizer blasts SBC leader’s advice
An evangelical political operative says a Southern Baptist leader’s advice for Christians to vote for third-party or write-in candidates rather than settling for a “lesser of two evils” is a road map to victory for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, American…
Disaster relief volunteer dies after heart attack
A Southern Baptist disaster-relief volunteer died March 29 while on a flood recovery mission in Leesville, La. Don Fulkerson, 77, a member of First Baptist Church in Galatia, Ill., died from a heart attack while serving on a team of…
State convention ‘saddened and disappointed’ by claims of former exec
Officials of a regional association of Southern Baptists disputed the account of a former executive director who claims he was fired because of interference by the denomination’s North American Mission Board. Shannon Baker, director of communications for the Baptist Convention…
Mohler cites CBF in veto of anti-LGBT ‘religious liberty’ bill
A Southern Baptist seminary president says theology played a role in Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal’s decision to veto a measure that would have discriminated against the state’s LGBT community. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.,…
Embattled Alabama governor no longer member of Southern Baptist church
The governor of Alabama is no longer a member of First Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa after allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a female adviser, also a member of the church. “While church discipline is a church family matter,…
New home means new life for woman rescued by Texas ministry
Plastic dishes hang neatly in the kitchen counter’s drying rack. Paw-shaped mud stains adorn the concrete driveway. The Disney Channel projects from the corner television. For many people, this is merely the humdrum of everyday life, but for Tiffany Willie these…
Denying grief over ‘sting of death’ brings its own sting, say ministers
Seasoned pastors with hundreds of funerals under their belts have seen the rites go from one extreme to another over the past three or four decades. “Growing up, almost every funeral was morbid, with open caskets and everything from the pulpit…
Baptist group protests North Carolina transgender law
Alliance of Baptists President Michael Castle said March 25 he will ask the leaders at the progressive fellowship’s upcoming annual gathering to consider moving the 2017 annual meeting away from North Carolina in light of a new state law that…