By Bob Allen Men and women in sexless marriages are asking for trouble, the president of the nation’s second-largest faith group behind Roman Catholics said in a sermon the week after the hacking of an online dating service exposed the…
Couple accused of stealing from church they helped plant
By Bob Allen A North Carolina pastor and his wife have been arrested for allegedly stealing more than $40,000 from the church they helped plant in 2006. George Keith Hall, 51, and Leslie Hill Hall, 52, turned themselves into police in…
Opening doors — front and back — to minister
By Blake Tommey At the Center for Faith and Leadership in Fredericksburg, Va., directors Carey and Gannon Sims have a familiar saying: “Our front door is open to the campus and our back door opens to the community.” And while…
American Baptists join Baptist family in prayer for Jimmy Carter
By Bob Allen Leaders of American Baptist Churches USA joined the larger Baptist family Aug. 25 in the United States and globally in prayer for former President Jimmy Carter and his family after the lifelong Baptist’s recent diagnosis with cancer….
51 Christian leaders support Iran nuclear deal
By Bob Allen Paula Clayton Dempsey of the Alliance of Baptists and American Baptist Churches USA head Roy Medley were among 51 U.S. Christian leaders asking members of Congress to support the negotiated nuclear deal with Iran. The group — which also…
Briefs ask Supreme Court to take Obamacare case
By Bob Allen Scripture and Southern Baptist doctrine teach that life begins at conception, and ending that life through emergency contraception or intrauterine devices is a “grave moral wrong,” according to a U.S. Supreme Court brief filed by Southern Baptist…
Study: church diversity does not guarantee diverse thinking, beliefs
By Jeff Brumley Many think of multiracial congregations as places where understanding grows between blacks, Hispanics and whites on social and justice issues. But a newly published study suggests that the opposite is true in many such congregations. Instead, it…
Ted Cruz recruiting pastors in push to defund Planned Parenthood
By Bob Allen Sen. Ted Cruz will hold a nationwide conference call for pastors Aug. 25, seeking evangelical support for his presidential campaign by going after Planned Parenthood. Cruz (R-Texas), a Southern Baptist and pastor’s son, invited pastors to join…
Injunction extended in contraceptive case
By Bob Allen Baptist organizations including the Southern Baptist Convention’s insurance provider got temporary relief Aug. 21 from an Affordable Care Act requirement that employers include in their employee health care plans drugs and devices they believe cause abortion. A…
Baylor launches investigation of student-athlete’s sexual assault
By Ken Camp Baylor University President Ken Starr called for a “comprehensive internal inquiry” into circumstances surrounding former football player Sam Ukwuachu’s sexual assault of an 18-year-old female student-athlete, including the conduct of the various campus offices involved. Ukwuachu, a…
For some, another threat to church survival: natural beauty
By Jeff Brumley The American church, it seems, just can’t catch a break. The “nones” won’t come in, the “dones” are … well, done, and the rest of the membership is slowly but surely dying off. Attendance and tithing are…
SBC parliamentarian ‘converts’ from long affiliation with Christian Church
By Bob Allen After advising Southern Baptist Convention presidents for 29 years as chief parliamentarian during SBC annual meetings, longtime Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister Barry McCarty is officially part of the fold. The Christian Index reported recently that…