By Jeff Brumley The death of a church isn’t an easy subject, particularly to those who are losing their spiritual home. But it is something being talked about more and more as church closings are becoming an increasingly regular occurrence…
Finding the Christian response in the death of a congregation
State engineer orders Glorieta to cease pumping water
By Ken Camp After a site visit to Glorieta Conference Center, New Mexico’s state engineer ordered the camp — which Southern Baptists’ LifeWay Christian Resources sold to an independent Christian camping organization — to cease pumping water into its pond…
Louisiana College updates whistleblower policy
By Bob Allen Louisiana College trustees updated the school’s whistleblower policy — adding protection against retaliation for reports of malfeasance made in good faith but specifying that accusations that are malicious and knowingly false will be punished — at a year-end meeting…
Trial postponed for accused Baptist preacher
By Bob Allen The trial of a Missouri Baptist preacher charged with child sexual abuse has been continued until Jan. 16, according to court documents quoted by a local newspaper. Travis R. Smith, 44, arrested in 2012 on felony charges…
U.S. Baptists emphasize local context in overseas theological education
By George Henson and Jeff Brumley Keeping it simple — and local — are essential for U.S. Christian groups involved in overseas theological education, American church leaders say. Translated, that means letting native residents in nations where theological training is lacking take…
Twitter post sparks hashtag war with LifeWay, SBC elite
By Bob Allen A denominational worker’s tweet over the holidays sparked a social media campaign alleging the Southern Baptist Convention’s bookstore chain values profit more than doctrinal fidelity and that an inner circle of “evangelical intelligentsia” calling the shots doesn’t…
Experts say gratitude generates the generosity needed for sustained giving
By Lori Fogelman and Jeff Brumley A Baylor University professor has been preaching a message some may consider radical in American society — even during the holidays: generosity. It’s also a concept close to the hearts of pastors struggling to convince shrinking…
Russell Moore, Richard Land, criticize normalizing relations with Cuba
By Bob Allen Both the current and past presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission have criticized President Obama’s recently announced plan to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba. Richard Land, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary who…
Ebola, race, marriage and Obamacare top stories in 2014
By Bob Allen Following is a summary of some of the year’s major headlines. Baptists and race. Will Baptists remember 2014 as a sea change in race relations? Fifty years after the civil rights movement and nearly 20 years after…
What were people reading in 2014?
By BNG staff 1. Probation terms altered to permit sex offender pastor to minister to childrenA Florida judge changed terms of probation for Darrell Gilyard, a pastor who returned to the pulpit after serving a prison term child sex abuse,…
Deaths in 2014
By Bob Allen Malcolm Tolbert, a former missionary to Brazil who taught at two Southern Baptist Convention seminaries, died Thanksgiving Day at age 90. James “Tripp” Battle III, lead pastor of Bayshore Baptist Church in Bradenton, Fla., died Dec. 4…