This story was updated Dec. 9 with additional information. By Bob Allen Despite well-publicized reports of women making inroads as pastors of large churches and leaders of religious organizations, the percentage of congregations led by a woman is about the…
Baptists among Christians rising up against Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric
By Jeff Brumley The voices from the right, condemning Islam and fearing Muslims, have gotten noticeably louder in recent days. On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump issued a call to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. On…
Barna: American reading habits shape churches, spiritual development
By Jeff Brumley Publishers and marketers are certainly aware that Americans, thanks to smart phones and tablets, are reading fewer and fewer paper books these days. But pastors and other church leaders need to track those trends as well, the…
Clergy urge welcome for Syrian refugees
By Bob Allen A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship pastor joined faith leaders from across metropolitan Louisville, Ky., in a press conference supporting the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana and Kentucky. Joe Phelps, pastor of Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.,…
Pastor cites ‘feminist rebellion’ in moral decline
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist pastor said in a televised sermon Dec. 6 that today’s controversy over transgender rights has its roots in “feminist rebellion” against the Bible’s teaching on hierarchy within marriage. “The mayor of Houston says that…
FBC Washington elects pastor
By Bob Allen Members of the First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., voted Dec. 6 to call Julie Pennington-Russell as senior pastor. Pennington-Russell, long active in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, is the 19th senior pastor in the church’s 213-year history and the…
In Chiapas, faith transforms lives in the ‘Rock Crusher’
By Russ Dilday Under a warm sun, Lluvia Citlalli Hernandez Aguilar, the sole Buckner social worker for the Chiapas state of Mexico, makes her way down the steep gravel and rock road that descends into the Tuxtla-Gutierrez neighborhood known as…
Jimmy Carter says he is cancer free
By Bob Allen Former President Jimmy Carter announced Dec. 6 that he is cancer-free, four months after revealing that cancer removed from his liver had spread to four spots on his brain. Carter, 91, a lifelong Baptist who identifies with…
CBF Virginia taps new leader
By Bob Allen The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia unanimously elected a new field coordinator at a called General Assembly Dec. 5 at Central Baptist Church in North Chesterfield, Va. Terry Maples, who for the last five-and-a-half years has held…
Preachers endorse Ted Cruz
By Bob Allen Presidential candidate Ted Cruz has announced endorsements from both his current pastor and a semi-retired Southern Baptist preacher who baptized him when he was 8 years old. Gregg Matte, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Houston,…
Religious leaders urge faithful to action in wake of Calif. mass shootings
By Jeff Brumley Wednesday’s shooting massacre in California was more than tragic news for Julie Pennington-Russell. It was personal. The former pastor of First Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga., Pennington-Russell shared with Facebook friends on Thursday that a relative was…
Controversial Wiley Drake ministers to San Bernardino survivors
By Bob Allen A former second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention counseled survivors of Wednesday’s deadly shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. Wiley Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., elected an SBC officer in…