By Bob Allen A Baptist scholar in the news for changing his mind about homosexuality says in the past he wrongly assumed it was only about sex. “The whole issue has been misread, fundamentally, only as a sexual ethics issue,…
Author cites alarming trends in preacher burnout
By Jeff Brumley Travis Collins was a pastor for three decades, but it was only in the last 10 years of his pulpit ministry that he became disturbed by the rate of burnout among fellow preachers — especially the younger ones….
Texas Baptists cut spending, elect female president
By Bob Allen Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas meeting Nov. 16-18 in Waco approved a 2015 basic budget of $35 million, more than $2.1 million below this year’s spending plan. A grand total budget of $37,784,297 represents reduced…
Rick Warren says church cannot compromise on sex
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist megachurch pastor and Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren urged participants in a Vatican conference on marriage and the family “to never give up and to never give in” on the defense of sexual morality….
Trial date set for Union University murder suspect
By Bob Allen A former Union University student accused of killing his fiancée on the Baptist-related school’s campus in February is scheduled to stand trial May 12-14, 2015, on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Charles Pittman, 22,…
You’ve met the ‘nones.’ Now meet the ‘dones.’
By Jeff Brumley It figures. Just as churches, seminaries and congregational consultants were wrapping their heads around the concept of “the nones” in religious life, yet another term emerges for yet another category of Americans abandoning the church: “the dones.”…
Umbrella protests roil graduation at Hong Kong Baptist University
By Bob Allen The president of Hong Kong Baptist University drew criticism after refusing to hand diplomas to graduates on stage carrying yellow umbrellas, symbols of a student led civil-disobedience movement started in September called Occupy Central. The university allowed…
Tennessee megachurch pastor succumbs to cancer
By Bob Allen The pastor at the largest Southern Baptist church in Tennessee died Nov. 18 after a nearly two-year battle with cancer. Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., announced that David Landrith, pastor since 1997 and the third…
SBC leader speaks at Vatican conference on the family
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top ethicist, speaking at a Vatican interfaith conference to support traditional marriage, said Christians cannot afford to capitulate to demands of the sexual revolution. “Many would tell us that contemporary people will not…
Ministry model appears to overcome barriers to reviving challenged communities
By Terry Goodrich A new model of ministry that empowers residents in an at-risk neighborhood of Dallas to transform their communities has resulted in crime reduction, better meeting of health needs, more jobs and improved student academic performance, according to…
Patient Zero of SBC controversy: B. H. Carroll defies theological labels, historians assert
By Ken Camp Neither Baptist progressives nor fundamentalists have the right to lay exclusive claim to the legacy of B.H. Carroll, two church historians told a fall colloquy sponsored by a theological institute that bears Carroll’s name. Baptists who view…
Georgia Baptists join ‘personhood’ campaign
By Bob Allen Georgia Baptists have joined an effort to switch the abortion debate from a woman’s right to choose to the “personhood” of the unborn fetus from the moment of conception. The Georgia Baptist Convention passed a resolution at…