By Bob Allen A Georgia Baptist newspaper that lays claim to being the nation’s oldest continuously published religious periodical will no longer appear in print after Dec. 31. Gerald Harris, 31st editor of the 193-year-old Christian Index, announced in an editorial…
Church questioned after hiring accused predator
By Bob Allen An Alabama judge has revoked the bond of a former youth pastor awaiting trial for sex crimes after media reports he was serving at a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church in Texas. Advocates for survivors of child sexual…
Serving the poor and homeless — and a passion for barbecue
By Jeff Brumley Texan Blake Barrow has two main callings in life. One is to serve the hungry and homeless. The other is to serve barbeque. And now the three-time Baylor University graduate has cooked up a plan to combine…
Controversial preacher returning to T4G stage
By Bob Allen A speaker sidelined two years ago by a sexual abuse scandal at his former church is back at center stage for an upcoming conference featuring prominent leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention. C.J. Mahaney, senior pastor of…
CBF releases funds for Syrian refugee relief
By Bob Allen The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has sent $15,000 to field personnel in Macedonia and Lebanon to assist with humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees, leaders of the Decatur, Ga.-based Fellowship announced Sept. 10. An estimated 4.1 million Syrians have…
New book on James reveals connection between ministry and scholarship
By Jeff Brumley What scholars do in seminaries and minsters do in the field may seem like polar opposite endeavors. Well, Jason Coker says, they aren’t. “I never separate the academics from practical ministry,” said Coker, pastor of Wilton Baptist…
SBC leader to speak at controversial family congress
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….