Good Friday services at Madison Avenue Baptist Church are traditional in many ways. Participants are reminded, through music, prayer and scripture readings, of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Themes of sorrow and grief are experienced in an ornate…
Little Sisters get day in court
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments March 23 in combined cases to decide whether mandatory coverage of contraceptives under Obamacare violates the religious liberty of faith-based organizations that serve the public and hire non-adherents as employees. Charities including several…
Christians, Muslims fear backlash from Brussels attacks
The deadly explosions in Brussels Tuesday morning had some American Muslims and Christians awaking with dismay. “I’d like to say I was surprised, but I wasn’t,” said Joe Bradford, founder of the Houston-based nonprofit American Muslims Care. The previous arrests…
Lawsuit names Baptist church in 30-year-old abuse case
A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship pastor in Georgia has voiced regret and sadness about his church’s handling decades ago of allegations of sexual abuse within a Boy Scout troop it sponsored. A lawsuit filed March 17 in Fulton County State Court…
Wife of BTSR president unexpectedly dies
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond is reporting the unexpected death of Cyndi Crawford, wife of seminary president Ron Crawford. According to a press release from BTSR, she was discovered at the family home in Hanover County, Va., yesterday evening. The…
People-pleasing pastors risk health, families and callings
Besides preaching and visiting the sick, too many ministers also are skilled at denying themselves vacation days, putting in extreme time at the office and scaling back on family time. “We are well known for overworking,” said Merianna Neely Harrelson,…
British Baptists wrestle with same-sex marriage
Hoping to avoid division over an issue that is dividing religious bodies across the globe, British Baptist leaders are asking churches not to allow their buildings to be used for same-sex weddings. The leadership council of the Baptist Union of…
Former president, now professor, reportedly on way out at Louisiana College
A Baptist college in Louisiana is seeking to remove its controversial former president from a teaching position on the faculty, according to a local media report. The Town Talk in Alexandria, La., quoted unnamed sources March 16 saying that Louisiana…
Packing in the pews
The latest challenge facing some congregations is deciding whether open carry gun laws should extend to church property — including the sanctuary.
Baptist World Aid director steps down
The director of Baptist World Aid, relief-and-development arm of the Baptist World Alliance, stepped down March 16 after three-and-a-half years on the job, according to a news release. Rothangliani Rema Chhangte, former liaison for Burmese refugees with American Baptist Home…
End U.S. embargo on Cuba, faith leaders tell Congress
Two dozen faith communities joined in a letter March 16 urging members of Congress to end the nation’s “long-standing and counter-productive” embargo on Cuba. “We have listened to the call of our partner faith communities in Cuba, with whom we…
DNC head challenged by faith leaders over exploitative payday lending
Several Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ministers were among 36 faith leaders sending an open letter March 17 taking the chair of the Democratic National Committee to task for resisting attempts by the Obama administration to rein in abuses in payday lending….