By the Baptist Standard Diana Garland, inaugural dean of Baylor University’s School of Social Work, will step down from her administrative post due to health reasons effective June 1. Provost David Garland has named Jon Singletary interim dean. Baylor plans…
Nearby church to commemorate 20th anniversary of Oklahoma City bombing
By Bob Allen First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City will remember this weekend’s 20th anniversary of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing with music. The music ministry will present the musical Shelter: Songs of Comfort and Hope by Paul…
Volunteering, missions best when not serving as Christian vacations, ministers say
By Brian Kaylor Greg Morrow, pastor of First Baptist Church of California, Mo., is passionate about volunteering for missions. He leads his church on mission trips and is a volunteer leader for a parachurch organization that mobilizes people to give…
Brief asks Okla. Supreme Court to strike down school voucher program
By Bob Allen An Oklahoma scholarship program to help children with disabilities attend private schools violates the state’s constitution because it uses public funds to support religious instruction, according to a brief filed April 13 in a case before the…
Georgia Baptist college gets tax break
By Bob Allen A tax rebate tailored to benefit a single Georgia Baptist college was slipped into a 49-page spending bill passed by the Georgia legislature just before this year’s lawmaking session expired April 2. State Sen. Bruce Thompson, a…
Film focuses on U.S. economic policies that cause Latin American poverty
By Norman Jameson American economic policies caused much of the debilitating poverty that now compels Latin Americans to risk everything trying to find work in the United States, according to the producer of “The Second Cooler,” a documentary on immigration….
Faith leaders support Iran framework deal
By Bob Allen Four dozen Christian leaders voiced support for a framework agreement for a peaceful path to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons in a full-page ad in Roll Call paid for by Sojourners, a Washington-based social justice ministry…
Circle of Protection asks presidential contenders what they would do for the poor
By Bob Allen Christian leaders from various denominations called on newly announced presidential candidate Hillary Clinton April 12 to produce a three-minute video telling Americans that if elected what she would do for the hungry and poor. “We are praying…
More than body cameras needed to stop police violence, Baptist clergy say
By Jeff Brumley Body cameras for police, it seems, are what the nation needs to ensure justice in the wake of last Saturday’s officer-involved shooting death of Walter Scott in North Charleston, S.C. Christianity Today published a story Wednesday citing numerous…
Prof says homosexual orientation is a sin
By Bob Allen While many Christians read the Bible as forbidding homosexual acts, a Southern Baptist scholar argues in a recent article that same-sex orientation itself is sinful. Denny Burk, professor of biblical studies at Boyce College, the undergraduate arm…
Central Seminary among fastest-growing theology schools
By Bob Allen Central Baptist Theological Seminary ranked second among the fastest-growing seminaries in North America, according to a new report by the Association of Theological Schools. The seminary in Shawnee, Kan., has grown by nearly 180 percent during the past…
Baptist schools raise RFRA defense in federal appeals court
By Bob Allen A lawyer representing two Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated Christian universities asked a federal appeals court April 7 to affirm a lower court ruling that mandated contraceptive coverage in employee insurance plans violates the Religious Freedom Restoration…