By Bob Allen A Missouri state judge said Nov. 5 that St. Louis officials can begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, finding that the state constitution’s ban on gay marriage violates the equal protection and due process clauses of…
Female minister cited by association for dismissing S.C. church
By Jeff Brumley A South Carolina church affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has been booted from its Southern Baptist association over women in leadership roles. The Independent-Mail in Anderson, S.C., reported that First Baptist Church of Pendleton has been…
With humor and hard work, church changes its ‘culture of giving’
By Jeff Brumley Two years ago, Second Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo. gambled that two cartoon cows would help foster a culture of generosity and transform stewardship in the congregration. It might sound crazy, but it worked, resulting in a…
SBC policy expert says medical pot a ‘Trojan Horse’ for legalization
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention public-policy spokesman described medical marijuana as the “Trojan Horse of the marijuana legalization movement” in an online commentary published Nov. 7 by the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Barrett Duke, vice president…
Latest gay marriage ruling, which involved Baptist plaintiff, could hasten Supreme Court decision
By Bob Allen A gay Baptist preacher suing for the right to marry in Kentucky pledged to continue his fight for marriage equality after the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against him and 15 other gay and lesbian…
Pastor blends art, preaching to share Good News
By George Henson It’s not preaching or painting for Pastor Randall Worley. It’s both. And his passion for spreading the gospel through oratory and visual expression has inspired Worley to conduct weeklong art camps at Prairie Creek Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, the…
Baptist preacher wins Georgia House seat
By Bob Allen Liberal pundits said it wouldn’t be easy to find a replacement as outspoken as former Tea Party Congressman Paul Broun — who onced termed evolution a lie “straight from the pit of hell” — but voters in the 10th…
Mohler says troubling story of Abraham, Isaac reveals ‘we are saved’
By Bob Allen The story of Abraham offering to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering in Genesis 22 makes sense only if it is literally true, a Southern Baptist seminary president said at a recent preaching conference. “If this…
For youth ministers, a challenge dealing with mental illness in adolescents
By Terry Goodrich and Jeff Brumley Many mental health disorders first surface during adolescence, and college and youth pastors are in a good position to offer help or steer youths elsewhere to find it. But many of those pastors feel…
Publisher finds challenges in appealing to conservative, liberal faith traditions
By Bob Allen Six months after a controversy over its decision to publish Matthew Vines’ book God and the Gay Christian, the publisher of authors including John Piper, Bill Gothard and David Platt has announced organizational changes increasing distance between…
Ken Hall fired as Baylor’s senior vice president
By Ken Camp A former CEO of Buckner International and former president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas has involuntarily become a former senior vice president of Baylor University. Ken Hall, who has served as senior vice president for…
Church attracts Millennials, in part, by hiring them
By Jeff Brumley When the blog site MillennialEvangelical published “5 Reasons Why There Are No Millennials in Your Church,” Bob Ballance couldn’t resist sharing it with his friends on Facebook. Not because there are no Millennials in the American Baptist…