By Bob Allen The Alliance of Baptists had to scramble to find a venue for its Sept. 18-20 conference on waging peace and justice in the Holy Land when the host church withdrew its invitation the day before the meeting….
It’s the economy, Christian
By Bob Allen Four million black people were fired in 1865, when President Lincoln and the federal government abolished slavery, a pastor told a packed house at the first summit meeting of a new coalition of churches in Louisville, Ky.,…
SBC megachurch hosting presidential forum
By Bob Allen Republican presidential candidates Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee are reportedly confirmed for a “North Texas Presidential Forum” at 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18, at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. The 40,000-member megachurch…
CBF church member credits Kelly Gissendaner for second chance
By Bob Allen A member of a Cooperative Baptist Church in Atlanta says a murderess on Georgia’s death row sentenced to die tomorrow night is being judged for taking one life but not receiving mercy for saving others. Nikki Roberts,…
Pope invokes MLK, a Baptist, as a Christian life to emulate
By Jeff Brumley Baptist scholar Steven Harmon was struck by something in Pope Francis’ address to Congress today that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention: its ecumenical message. The pontiff cited Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and Martin Luther King Jr….
CBF head among faith leaders supporting papal call for creation care
By Bob Allen Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter challenged faith leaders in Washington for this week’s papal visit to “reawaken your actual love of God’s world” during a Sept. 24 service at the National Cathedral focusing on creation…
‘Francis effect’ boosting Catholic Church’s image for U.S. Protestants
By Bob Allen The “Francis effect” is real for U.S. Protestant pastors, according to LifeWay Research. Half of Protestant pastors polled by the research firm housed within the Southern Baptist Convention’s publishing arm said Pope Francis has affected their opinions…
Faith leaders renew campaign advocating for woman on death row
By Bob Allen Georgia faith leaders including former Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal gathered Sept. 23 outside the office of the Board of Pardons and Paroles protesting the newly rescheduled execution of the only woman on Georgia’s death…
Research addresses ‘silent sorrow’ of stillbirth, miscarriage
By Terry Goodrich With the rate of stillbirths now topping that of infants who die before their first birthdays, employers — and society in general — must become more empathetic to families grieving the death of a baby through stillbirth…
Canadian Baptists choose leader
By Bob Allen The Canadian Baptist Ministries board of directors announced Sept. 23 the election of Terry Smith, a former missionary to France who has led the 1,000-church organization’s global mission strategy and partnerships, to a five-year term as executive…
CBF Heartland names new leader
By Bob Allen Harold Phillips, longtime coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Heartland, will transition to a new role in January, leaders of the regional CBF affiliate announced Sept. 24. On Sept. 19 the CBF Heartland’s Coordinating Council named Jeff…
Young ministers learn the pastor’s delicate balance
Elijah Zehyoue has been building toward ministry for nearly a decade. Growing up in the church in Baton Rouge, La., he began discerning God’s call as a 16-year-old. He graduated from Morehouse College as part of the Phi Beta Kappa…