By Bob Allen A Baptist minister with childhood memories of her parents supporting African Americans in the struggle for civil rights saw Monday’s introduction of gay marriage to Alabama as a chance to make her own mark on history. Ellin…
SBC public policy chief says God at work in Washington
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists’ top public policy official says he sees God working in unexpected ways in the lives of people he encounters while representing the nation’s second-largest faith group after Roman Catholics in the nation’s capital. Russell Moore,…
Faith-based education offers ‘ethical ammo’ for American society, say university presidents
By Robert Dilday The more than 1,200 faith-based universities in America increasingly are confronted with regulatory challenges which some believe restrict their deeply held religious mission. But a larger challenge may be persuading society to invest in higher education that…
LifeWay trustees authorize sale of headquarters
By Bob Allen Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources have authorized the administration to sell all or part of the Southern Baptist Convention publisher’s campus in Nashville, Tenn., for what a broker determines to be a fair market value, according to…
Former Baptist blogger resigns as congressional aide over Facebook posts
By Bob Allen A congressional aide who 10 years ago as a young pastor helped introduce social media as a force in the Southern Baptist Convention, has resigned his job in Washington following controversy over Facebook posts criticized as racially…
Abuse victim sues Baptist church in Dallas
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…