By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention seminary president has joined the lineup of speakers for the first U.S. gathering of an international congress to affirm, celebrate and encourage the “natural family,” defined as marriage between a man and woman….
Family says seminary professor’s death a suicide
By Bob Allen A beloved professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary found dead in his home on the first day of class Aug. 24 took his own life and left a suicide note saying his name was exposed in…
Baptist church uncertain why it was targeted by anti-gay protesters
By Jeff Brumley The folks at College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C., remain baffled as to why anti-gay protesters demonstrated outside their sanctuary on Aug. 23, hurling insults at members and clergy. The American Baptist Churches-USA congregation has been…
Pastor defends mass baptism, with some regret
By Bob Allen The pastor of a Georgia Baptist church at the center of controversy over a mass baptism on a public high school football field says he regrets not informing the local school board in advance, but he believes…
S.C. Baptists seek answers from university trustees
By Bob Allen Leaders of the South Carolina Baptist Convention have asked officials at North Greenville University to explain circumstances around the departure of the school’s former president after an online video made it appear he was having an extramarital…
It’s Labor Day. Are you still working on your smartphone?
By Eric M. Eckert You’ve tried to escape it. You really have. But the constant stream of dings and buzzes from incoming texts and emails are just too much to take. And before you know it, you’re scanning your smartphone….
Baptist minister, children pioneer sacred arts camp concept
By Jeff Brumley Michael Sciretti, it turns out, has this thing for the tabernacle described in Exodus and how it parallels the creation account in Genesis. And he’s convinced the symbolism of it all contains an abundance of spiritual experiences…
IMB head explains cutbacks in open letter
By Bob Allen The head of the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board, which recently announced plans to cut personnel by 600 to 800 jobs over the next six months, said in an open letter to Southern Baptists Sept. 4…
Philadelphia lawyers to investigate Baylor’s response to sexual assault
By Ken Camp Baylor University has hired a Philadelphia law firm to conduct an independent external investigation of how the school handled a football player’s sexual assault of a female student-athlete. Baylor’s board of regents retained the Pepper Hamilton firm’s…
Hispanic leader to be nominated president of Texas Baptist group
By Ken Camp and Jeff Brumley René Maciel, president of Baptist University of the Américas, will be nominated this fall for president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. And it comes just as the 2016 presidential election cycle is turning…
Pastors file brief in support of public education
By Bob Allen A group of Texas pastors who support public education warned that a proposal to divert public funds to private schools would create a “parallel private system of education” supported by taxpayers in a brief filed Sept. 1…
Russell Moore says faithful evangelicals cannot affirm homosexuality
By Bob Allen Biblical inerrancy is at the heart of the debate about whether or not homosexuality is a sin, the Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for moral and religious liberty concerns said at a recent gathering of journalists who…