By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist Convention president is under fire for a recent sermon that Jewish leaders say could be used to fuel anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League in Houston said Nov. 14 that Jewish leaders are “in a…
Merger, not just ministry, is how this church is engaging Hispanics
By Jeff Brumley Cliff Temple Baptist Church was responding to the needs of the Dallas neighborhoods around it long before the term “missional” came into vogue, and before Brent McDougal took the helm as senior pastor. But since McDougal’s arrival five…
Court upholds clergy housing allowance
By Bob Allen Clergy can keep their tax-free housing allowance for now, because a group challenging its constitutionality lacks legal standing to sue, a federal appeals court ruled Nov. 13. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the…
Alabama Baptist convention opposes Common Core education standards
By Bob Allen Alabama state leaders were urged to repeal Common Core standards promoted by the U.S. Department of Education in a resolution adopted at the Alabama Baptist State Convention annual meeting Nov. 11-12 in Birmingham. The resolution titled “On Parental…
Interim seminary head praises progress against Ebola in Liberia
By Bob Allen Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced Nov. 13 the end of national state of emergency, citing progress in the fight against Ebola. Richard Wilson, a Mercer University professor forced to leave his temporary appointment as president of…
Choctaws in rural Mississippi find ‘open arms’ in church
By Jennifer Ferry A Cooperative Baptist church is leveraging trust and service as a way to carry the gospel message to a close-knit and highly impoverished Native American community in Mississippi. In the rural town of Decatur, located in one…
Evangelicals already working to mobilize vote in 2016
By Bob Allen Bolstered by success in the recent 2014 elections, an under-the-radar campaign to mobilize evangelical voters is asking 63,000 pastors to consider running for public office in 2016. CBN News chief political correspondent David Brody recently published an…
Vote inaugurates far-reaching governance change for BGAV
By Robert Dilday A far-reaching shift in governance of the 191-year-old Baptist General Association of Virginia went into effect Nov. 12 when messengers at the group’s annual meeting adopted a set of constitutional and bylaw changes implementing a proposal adopted…
Citing low receipts, North Carolina convention reduces budget
By Bob Allen The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina voted Nov. 11 to trim its annual budget by $1 million, citing a decline in giving of about 7 percent. “While it is true that the receipts of many churches…
Maryland school board ‘steals’ Christmas
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist leader in Maryland denounced a local school board’s decision to eliminate references to all religious holidays on its published calendar for 2015-2016. The Montgomery County Board of Education voted 7-1 to make the change…
For some Baptists, interfaith dialogue more practical than symbolic
By Jeff Brumley November means fall and fall means Thanksgiving and in many communities that means it’s time for some form of the annual interfaith gratitude service. Rabbis, imams, pastors and Hindu and Buddhist priests will process through synagogues, mosques,…
Tennessee Baptists elect first black president
By Bob Allen The Tennessee Baptist Convention elected the first African-American president in its 140-year history Nov. 11. Michael Ellis, 54, pastor of Impact Baptist Church in Memphis, was elected by unanimous vote of more than 940 messengers attending the…