By Bob Allen The younger of two brothers convicted of sexually exploiting girls in the youth group of a Texas Baptist church has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Jordan “Jordy” Earls, 26, received a sentence of 180 months…
Baptists oppose Texas bill as violation of biblical command to welcome strangers
By Ken Camp Some Texas lawmakers want to eliminate the possibility that local rules may prohibit police from questioning detained individuals about their immigration status. But Baptist and other religious leaders warn that could lead to racial profiling and a…
State CBF group forging ties with historically black college
By Bob Allen The Kentucky Baptist Fellowship is forging a partnership with both a historically black college and a large African-American congregation whose pastor does double duty as its president. Bob Fox, moderator of the statewide affiliate of the Cooperative…
Plea deadline extended for Union University murder suspect
By Bob Allen A March 16 deadline for a former Union University student charged with murdering his fiancée on campus in February 2014 to accept a plea bargain has been extended until April 27 because of a backlog in evidence…
Evangelicals support immigration reform, Baptists say; now it’s Congress’ turn
By Jeff Brumley A recent LifeWay poll showing strong support for immigration reform among evangelicals came as no surprise to Baptists involved in the reform movement, but they said it seems to remain a mystery to U.S. legislators. A wide…
CBF pitches in to provide aid to victims of tropical storm
By Aaron Weaver The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is partnering with disaster-relief agencies around the world to provide emergency support to the victims of Tropical Cyclone Pam in the South Pacific islands of Vanuatu. CBF sent an initial $5,000 to Asia…
Sovereign Grace mom testifies in favor of longer statute of limitations on child sex abuse
By Bob Allen A mother who says her 3-year-old daughter was sexually abused at a prominent D.C.-area evangelical church urged Maryland lawmakers March 12 to extend the statute of limitations for bringing a civil suit against a child sexual abuser….
Be creative, not afraid, as the religiously unaffiliated rise in U.S., experts tell churches
By Jeff Brumley New research shows that the religiously unaffiliated are gaining on Christian traditions across much of the United States. The Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Atlas, released earlier this month, finds that Catholics and the religiously unaffiliated…
Woman on death row files lawsuit over her ‘botched’ execution
By Bob Allen A death-row prisoner whose March 2 execution was postponed due to problems with the drugs to be used for her lethal injection has filed a federal lawsuit claiming violation of her constitutional right against punishments that are…
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center revives Center for Congregational Health
By Bob Allen Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is re-launching The Center for Congregational Health, shut down a year ago in a philosophy shift away from church consulting toward a new priority of involving congregations in community health care. “We…
Longtime McAfee professor announces retirement
By Bob Allen Peter Rhea Jones, a New Testament scholar and pastor known for his lifelong study of the parables, has announced plans to retire from Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology at the end of July. Jones, the J….
Big lessons for Creflo Dollar — and the church — in a $65M jet
By Jeff Brumley Many were angered by prosperity gospel guru Creflo Dollar’s recent online campaign to raise $65 million to buy himself a new private jet — in the name of spreading the gospel around the world. Others considered the source…