By Bob Allen The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has announced a reward up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who set a predominantly Africa-American church in Charlotte, N.C.,…
Faith propels Carnahan to ‘repair the world’ after governor husband, son lost in crash
By Vicki Brown Missourians know Jean Carnahan for her contributions in the past — as First Lady of Missouri when the late Mel Carnahan served as governor and as the first woman to represent the state in the U.S. Senate….
Newspaper op-ed decries bashing of Confederate flag
By Bob Allen A guest column in a Baptist state newspaper takes exception to Southern Baptist leaders reacting to the recent church shooting in Charleston, S.C., with calls to take down the Confederate flag. Edward DeVries, pastor of Village of…
Memorial service for ‘Baptist folk hero’ portrays passionate life
By Robert Dilday Laughter, not tears, prevailed at a memorial service July 18 for fiery religious liberty advocate James Dunn, who died two weeks ago at 83. A packed sanctuary at Knollwood Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. — the congregation…
Interim pastoring has evolved into skilled calling, Baptists say
By Jeff Brumley The modern interim pastor is radically different from his or her predecessors, ministers and congregational coaches say. It’s increasingly rare for an interim to be a mere placeholder between full-time pastors in a church. And relatively few…
‘First Amendment Defense Act’ gets Baptist support
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist leaders in two states urged support for a federal law aimed at protecting Americans who oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds. Critics, however, say that would allow employers to fire women for getting pregnant out…
Moore hopes Planned Parenthood controversy will galvanize pro-life evangelicals
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top public policy official says he hopes a controversial viral video claiming to show Planned Parenthood is selling fetal organs for profit will move evangelicals from right thinking to action on the sanctity…
Baptist churches learn that serving schools yields big rewards
By Vicki Brown and Jeff Brumley Serving Clark Elementary School helps the roughly 40 members of Woodlawn Avenue Baptist Church in Wichita, Kan., realize they have a purpose, a contribution to make to their community. For members at First Baptist…
Churches invited to celebrate ADA anniversary
By Bob Allen The approaching 25th anniversary of President George H.W. Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act is an opportunity for churches to celebrate progress and recognize work that remains to make society more open and accessible to people…
Quadriplegic NAMB missionary receives $26 million settlement after crash
By Bob Allen A North American Mission Board student missionary paralyzed in a 2009 rollover crash has been awarded $26 million in a settlement with the Southern Baptist Convention entity’s insurers. Lawyers representing 27-year-old Jeremy Vangsnes — an All-American collegiate…
The pastor’s dilemma: To friend or not to friend
By Jeff Brumley A Baptist pastor and columnist recently wrote that becoming friends with members of his church was bumping up against his seminary training. “The standard and dominant view is that the office of pastor has clearly defined boundaries…
SBC leader calls for probe into Planned Parenthood video
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for public policy concerns said “it is time for the reborn to stand up for the unborn” after viewing an undercover video purported to show a Planned Parenthood official discussing the…