By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist church in Texas has been sued for $1 million by an unidentified woman who claims lack of oversight enabled a former youth minister and his younger brother to sexually abuse her as a teenager….
Women feel spirit while leading Baptist communion service
By Jeff Brumley An all-woman team served communion at Spring Creek Baptist Church last Sunday. That was Pastor John Jay Alvaro’s idea of taking the Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching to a new level at his Oklahoma City church….
Huckabee preaches at Southern Baptist megachurch
By Bob Allen Once and likely future presidential candidate Mike Huckabee described “disconnect” between the cultural elite and the values of middle America Sunday morning from a prominent Southern Baptist pulpit in Jacksonville, Fla. “There is what I would simply…
Obama praises church/state separation at prayer breakfast
By Bob Allen Religion flourishes in the United States because of the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state, President Obama said in a 25-minute address to the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 5. “The United States is one of the…
Seminary course seeks ‘nexus’ between clergy and police
By Jeff Brumley A Virginia seminary has launched a new course exploring the relationship between law enforcement and clergy in hopes of finding ways to sustain the wellness of officers and protecting communities. Those in law enforcement say it’s a…
Baptists to confront ‘transgender confusion’ in conference prelude
By Bob Allen Three Southern Baptist scholars will discuss “transgender confusion” in a daylong conference Oct. 5 prior to the annual conference of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors scheduled on the campus of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The Council…
Some churches see health, wellness as track to missional niche
By Jeff Brumley Health and fitness facilities and ministries are being eyed by churches seeking their ministry niches. But the missional use of wellness is nothing new in American Christianity. “The early forms were churches like Walnut Street Baptist Church…
BJC, others, oppose North Carolina voucher plan
By Bob Allen North Carolina’s new school voucher law, which allows families to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private schools, violates the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and…
SBC leader calls on churches to confront suicide
By Bob Allen Suicide is “a very serious and tragic reality” that every minister will encounter, Southern Baptist Convention leader Frank Page advised students at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in a recent chapel address. Page, president and CEO of…
Woes persist at Georgia Baptist college
By Bob Allen The week after Brewton-Parker College President Ergun Caner resigned citing the emotional and physical toll of his son’s recent suicide, a vice president said he was fired after refusing to resign. C.B. Scott, vice president of alumni…
Some Americans feel ‘cold’ toward Muslims and Mormons, survey says
By Jeff Brumley Few were surprised by a Pew Research Center survey finding that Republicans hold more negative views about Muslims than Democrats do. But the poll — along with recent anti-Muslim protests in Texas — reconfirmed for some observers that it’s…
Former children’s minister pleads not guilty to murder
By Bob Allen An Alabama Baptist minister accused of fatally stabbing his wife in the home they rented from their church in 2013 pleaded not guilty to murder in a pretrial hearing and arraignment in a Birmingham, Ala., courtroom Feb….