By Brian Kaylor The address for Union Mound Baptist Church says Elkland, Mo. That small, unincorporated city has one restaurant — located inside a gas station. Union Mound actually sits on top of a small hilltop about eight miles away…
Baptists Today faces cash shortfall
This story was edited after posting to correct an error in the 13th paragraph. By Bob Allen Baptists Today — an autonomous, national news journal rooted in the Southern Baptist Convention “holy war” in the 1980s — has “a serious cash flow…
LifeWay ditches planned building site
By Bob Allen LifeWay Christian Resources has backed out of plans to build a new headquarters on 1.5 acres of downtown riverfront property, the Southern Baptist Convention entity’s president said in a memo to employees Nov. 16. In July LifeWay…
Dissent and debate at church? Embrace it, experts say
By Jeff Brumley Churches should welcome, not shun, debate and dissent, a pastor told a gathering of Baptists last week. In fact, spiritual growth depends on tolerating and engaging those who hold divergent views, Taylor Sandlin of Southland Baptist Church…
New officers for Baptist group in Texas reflects state’s diversity
By Ken Camp The Baptist General Convention of Texas elected by acclamation the president of a Hispanic school, a first-generation Ethiopian immigrant pastor and the pastor of a historic county-seat First Baptist Church as top officers during its annual meeting…
Kentucky’s Southern Baptists hire lobbyist, Capitol chaplain
By Bob Allen The Kentucky Baptist Convention is placing a lobbyist, chaplain and journalist in Frankfort, Ky., in an effort to gain more influence in state politics. The new jobs are funded by a financial grant at no cost to…
Baptist group in Oklahoma denounces divorce, adultery
By Bob Allen While reaffirming their previous stance against gay marriage, Southern Baptists in Oklahoma denounced a “culture of divorce” permeating society — including churches — in a resolution passed by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma Nov. 9-10 in Oklahoma City….
Baptist woman breaks ground — into coaching football
By Jeff Brumley Some women are called to break barriers by becoming deacons, senior pastors and denominational leaders. For Aleena Garcia, 20, it’s coaching football. And while it’s not a church ministry, Aleena said her Baptist faith, plus an early…
Richard Land joins Starbucks red cup fray
By Bob Allen Former Southern Baptist leader Richard Land has added his voice to the latest “war on Christmas” campaign, suggesting Christians should boycott Starbucks over the plain red design of this year’s holiday cup. Land, retired executive director of…
Pianist, professor Maurice Hinson dead at 84
By Bob Allen Maurice Hinson, one of America’s most respected authorities on piano literature who taught at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1957 until 2015, died Nov. 11 at age 84 after a battle with cancer. As professor and senior…
Rural churches struggle as resources flow to urban churches
By Brian Kaylor It’s not easy being a small, rural church in America today. Denominations sometimes focus more resources on bigger, urban congregations. And luring a pastor to the boondocks is a major challenge. “Many seminary graduates will not even…
Liberty prof says LGBT film fest gives her platform to ‘speak the truth in love’
By Bob Allen Religious arguments against same-sex marriage are weakened in society by the breakup of traditional families, a research fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention said at a recent film festival connecting…