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….
Openness to Cuba is nothing new to these Baptists
By Ken Camp The world focused on Cuba in recent days, gauging the impact of restored diplomatic relations with the United States after more than 50 years. But for a volunteer team from Texas, a trek to Cuba was business as…
Huckabee stumps at N.C. Baptist church
By Bob Allen Potential 2016 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee told about 400 people in a town hall meeting at First Baptist Church of Charlotte, N.C., that while some GOP presidential candidates are shying away from hot-button social issues in an…
Samford buys property to expand health care programs
By Bob Allen Baptist-affiliated Samford University has purchased property adjacent to its campus in Birmingham, Ala., from Time, Inc., so it can relocate its College of Health Sciences. Southern Progress Corp., a Time subsidiary, decided last year to sell the…
Fostering multiethnic churches easier said than done, pastors say
By Jeff Brumley The Southern Baptist Convention can cure the nation’s racial tensions if its churches will embrace congregational integration, said Russell Moore, president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Moore has joined with other white conservative Christian…