By Bob Allen The South Carolina Baptist Convention has resumed funding for North Greenville University, after convention leaders said they were satisfied with the way the board of trustees handled a scandal involving the school’s former president. The state convention’s…
Camping ministry unveils capital campaign
By Bob Allen Passport, Inc., an ecumenical Christian camping ministry and longtime partner of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, has launched a $1.5 million capital campaign, bolstered by a $500,000 matching-funds challenge grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation….
Apartments purchase propels church ‘from missional to incarnational,’ pastor says
By Jeff Brumley There’s a saying that if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans. The folks at Oakmont Baptist Church in Greenville, N.C., have experienced that principle firsthand. It all started when the Cooperative Baptist congregation…
Survey says many Christians reluctant to talk about marital problems at church
By Bob Allen While 94 percent of Protestant pastors believe their churches are safe places to talk about marital difficulties, fewer than half of churchgoers who divorced in the past five years discussed their marriage problems with the lead pastor,…
Chik-fil-A challenged for sponsoring LGBT-themed film festival
By Bob Allen Three years after evangelical Christians designated a day to eat more chicken in support of Chik-fil-A’s defense of traditional marriage, the Southern Baptist-owned fast food chain is taking heat online for sponsoring what is billed as the…
Are Bible apps sapping the life from our faith?
By Jeff Brumley The Bible at your fingertips. A worship service in the palm of your hand and prayers and devotions streaming into your ears. The advent of the app has made all of that possible for any Christian with…
Kentucky Baptist group to urge defunding of Planned Parenthood
By Bob Allen The Kentucky Baptist Convention announced plans Oct. 28 to vote on a resolution calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood at the convention’s annual meeting Nov. 10 in Elizabethtown, Ky. “The horror of Planned Parenthood’s murder and…
Association boots church for ‘affirming’ gays
By Bob Allen A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church in Mississippi has been voted out of its local association for being too soft on homosexuality. The Pine Belt Baptist Association voted Oct. 20 to withdraw fellowship from University Baptist Church in…
Discerning your call: It’s not just for clergy, say some churches
By Jeff Brumley There is a trend developing, according to media outlets like the New York Times and Huffington Post, in which American universities are trying to help their students become more thoughtful, well-rounded people. So, many of them have…
Pastor says ‘closeted’ evangelicals support Trump
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist pastor and Fox News contributor Robert Jeffress said Oct. 26 he believes presidential candidate Donald Trump is being buoyed in the polls by “closeted” evangelicals who believe electing a strong leader is more important than…
Tennessee convention purchases land for new headquarters
By Bob Allen The Tennessee Baptist Convention will move its headquarters from Brentwood, Tenn., to a 600-acre mixed-use development adjacent to Interstate 65 in south Franklin in 2017. The TBC executive board signed closing documents Oct. 26 for 2.3 acres in…
Not forgotten, Christians tell embattled Yazidis
By Ken Camp and Buckner International communications For most, the dramatic events constantly unfolding in places like Iraq and Syria are far-off tragedies to worry or pray about. But for some Americans, it’s much more than that. Some have decided…