By Bob Allen Lawmakers in Nepal rejected an effort to declare the Himalayan nation a Hindu state, adopting draft language to a new constitution Sept. 14 maintaining its status as a secular state. The news brought relief for minority groups,…
Christian Index board disbands
By Bob Allen The board of the nation’s oldest continuously published religious newspaper has disbanded, and the 193-year-old Christian Index will come under the umbrella of the Georgia Baptist Convention, as part of a massive restructuring of the 3,600-church affiliate…
Robert Jeffress prays ‘special blessing’ on Donald Trump
A Southern Baptist megachurch pastor asked God’s blessing on Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump in an invocation at a Sept. 14 campaign rally in Dallas. Trump, addressing a crowd estimated at 17,000 Monday evening at the American Airlines Center, thanked…
Adult coloring books emerging as popular spiritual practice
By Jeff Brumley Coloring as a spiritual practice has made the news recently. Yes, that’s “coloring” as in coloring books, crayons, colored pens and pencils, etc. Ditto for drawing, sketching and doodling as religious activities. In fact, one person told…
Judge orders removal of Ten Commandments monument
By Bob Allen An Oklahoma judge gave the state 30 days to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state capitol grounds in a lawsuit filed by a Baptist minister. Bruce Prescott, an ordained Baptist minister and former executive director…
School district says gridiron baptism violated policy
By Bob Allen A mass baptism on a high school football field violated policy but was done without malicious intent, according to an investigation by the county superintendent. Carroll County School Superintendent Scott Cowart said in a statement to the…
Judge revokes bond for accused youth pastor
By Bob Allen A Texas Baptist pastor told an Alabama judge Sept. 14 that he knew that a worship pastor he hired in April was facing criminal sex charges, but he didn’t know how many. Steve Knott, pastor of First…
Pastor reflects on blessings weeks after N.M. church bombings
By Jeff Brumley A church bombing — moments before Sunday worship — would seem like a uniformly negative event in the life of a congregation and its minister. But that’s just not the case for Calvary Baptist Church and Kevin Glenn, who’s…
Paige Patterson details missiological ‘battle’ at IMB
By Bob Allen Four months before the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board announced plans to eliminate between 600 and 800 jobs, a seminary president said about 750 missionaries need to be removed because they are ineffective or doctrinally unsound….
NCC asks US to lift quota on refugees
By Bob Allen The National Council of Churches, an ecumenical gathering of 37 member communions representing 45 million Americans, joined a call Sept. 14 urging President Obama to increase Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States. The NCC endorsed a…
Using urban church planting to engage unreached groups
By Brian Kaylor When East St. Louis is mentioned on the news, the focus usually remains on the crime rate and its status as one of the deadliest cities in the nation. However, when Kempton Turner walks around the Illinois…
Global Women taps new leader
By Bob Allen Stacy K. Blackmon, a 10-year veteran communicator, strategist and ministry leader, has been selected as the third executive director of Global Women, an ecumenical women’s missions organization with moderate Baptist ties. Blackmon, who most recently worked as…