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…
Baptist nursing students learn ropes on Ethiopia medical mission
By Ken Camp Student nurses grow accustomed to signs prohibiting firearms and other weapons on hospital property. So, treating spear-carrying tribesmen at a remote clinic on the banks of the Omo River in southern Ethiopia required mental adjustment for five Baylor University graduate…
Richmond grateful for growth of Burmese refugee ministry
By Blake Tommey “When these kinds of things happen in my life, things that are so clearly filled with more beauty or redemption or reconciliation than my cranky personality and stony heart could ever manufacture on their own, I just…
Liberian Baptists oppose ‘Christian nation’ label
By Bob Allen Baptist leaders in Liberia have spoken in opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment declaring the West African republic a Christian state. A committee charged with reviewing Liberia’s 1986 constitution recommended 19 changes during a five-day conference March…
Southern Baptists urged to pray as Supreme Court weighs gay-marriage arguments
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention went online April 7 urging people in the pews to pray when the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments about whether state gay-marriage bans are constitutional. The SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission…
Smooth pastoral succession takes creativity and planning, Baptist leaders say
By Vicki Brown God’s grace made pastoral succession work at Broadview Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas, congregational leaders say. The church took a step of faith when Senior Pastor David Cason began to mull retirement. How would they find someone to…
Obama honors Gardner Taylor at Easter prayer breakfast
By Bob Allen President Obama paid tribute to an African-American Baptist pastor and civil-rights leader who died Easter Sunday at age 96 in remarks at the White House Easter prayer breakfast April 7. “This morning, we also remember a man of…
Baptists, others, fear legal gay marriage will censor free speech
By Bob Allen A Supreme Court decision this summer to legalize same-sex marriage in America would exacerbate a pattern of restrictions on the free speech of individuals who say publicly they believe homosexuality is a sin, according to a legal…
Catholics, Baptists join in religious liberty battle over gay marriage
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist and Roman Catholic leaders issued a joint statement April 3 concerning acrimony over religious liberty and same-sex marriage going on in Indiana and other states. Philadelphia archbishop Charles Chaput and William Lori of the Roman…
Smooth pastoral succession takes creativity and planning, Baptist leaders say
By Vicki Brown God’s grace made pastoral succession work atBroadview Baptist Church in Abilene, congregational leaders say. The church took a step of faith when Senior Pastor David Cason began to mull retirement. How would they find someone to match…
Baptist missions must continue to adapt to continuing shifts in world religions, Baylor prof says
By Jeff Brumley New research into the continuing growth and shift of world religions predicts Christianity will remain the globe’s dominant faith while Islam continues to surge and gain ground. Chris van Gorder, associate professor of world religions at Baylor…
Gardner Taylor, preacher and civil rights leader, dies
By Bob Allen Gardner Taylor, an African-American Baptist pastor and civil rights leader dubbed the “prince of preachers,” died Easter Sunday, April 5, at age 96. Taylor, pastor emeritus at Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y., was a…