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…
BJC exec blasts religious bigotry
By Bob Allen The head of a Baptist organization dedicated to upholding religious liberty for all Americans joined Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in a pledge signed Oct. 23 in Washington denouncing all forms of religious bigotry. Brent Walker, executive…
Opting for non-church weddings crosses age, religious categories
By Jeff Brumley Marriage isn’t what it used to be. That’s no surprise. But ministers and researchers are reporting getting married is rapidly changing, too, with Millennials getting much — though not all — of the credit. And the most noticeable difference…
Third-way pastor says most churches unsafe for LGBT individuals
By Bob Allen A pastor whose church was kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2014 for adopting a “third way” stance of neither affirming nor condemning homosexuality says despite talk of “hate the sin and love the sinner”…
Campbellsville inks pact with American Baptists
By Bob Allen Campbellsville University and the American Baptist Churches of Indiana/Kentucky formalized a partnership with a signing ceremony Oct. 20 on the university campus in Campbellsville, Ky. Soozi Whitten Ford, executive minister of the 313-church regional affiliate of American Baptist…
Study shows faith helps overseas companies; U.S. businessmen say, ‘Here, too’
By Eric M. Eckert and Jeff Brumley Higher levels of spiritual capital — the motivation, energy and work ethic one may find from a relationship with God — have a positive effect on business success, employment and innovation in developing countries, according…