By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist Convention official termed the declaring of certain public areas as “gun-free” zones “an invitation to mayhem,” citing what he said was evidence that increased gun ownership is a deterrent to violent crime. Richard…
Texas pastors want tax dollars for church schools
By Bob Allen One way to fix the troubled public-school system in Texas is making education funds available to church-based private schools, a group of prominent pastors including Ed Young of Second Baptist Church in Houston and Robert Jeffress of…
Back to school with a free haircut, thanks to Gardner-Webb staffer
By Matthew Tessnear Keith Rhodes knows the importance of a good children’s haircut and the struggle with its cost for families who have limited resources. When Rhodes was 10 years old, his single mother, Janade, couldn’t afford a haircut for…
Texas Baptist headquarters building transferred to Baylor nursing school
By Leah Reynolds Representatives of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board staff and Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing joined in a “passing the mantle” ceremony Aug. 26. The event commemorated the legacy of Texas Baptists at…
Baptist university responds to video of former president
By Bob Allen Baptist-affiliated North Greenville University issued a statement saying its leaders are expected to lead Christ-centered lives after a video posted on YouTube showed what appeared to be a confrontation between the former president and his son over…
Southern Baptists to cut missionary force by 15 percent
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board will offer voluntary incentive for early retirement in an attempt to cut between 600 and 800 jobs from the agency’s missionary force and staff. Leaders of the Richmond, Va.,-based IMB…
Jimmy Carter’s church to limit Sunday crowds
By Bob Allen Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., announced Aug. 27 it would begin limiting the size of crowds attending a Sunday school class taught by former President Jimmy Carter. Last Sunday Carter, 90, for the first time pulled…
Burma conversion bill raises religious freedom concern
By Bob Allen Advocates for religious liberty view with alarm a new law recently passed by the parliament in Myanmar making it harder for a person to switch religions. Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organization that monitors human rights,…
10 years later, one Baptist group reflects on Katrina and its aftermath
By Aaron Weaver Aug. 28, 2005, should have been a music-filled Sunday morning at St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. The congregation was scheduled to sing its top 10 favorite hymns. Instead, that Sunday turned out to be…
SBC president talks about sex the Sunday after Ashley Madison scandal
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…