By Robert Dilday Scots went into voting booths today to decide if they’ll break Scotland’s 300-year-old union with the United Kingdom and become independent, a decision that would have profound implications for both. The results, which polls indicated were too…
Culture writer Jonathan Merritt says SBC warning against ‘third way’
By Bob Allen A Religion News Service columnist and son of a former Southern Baptist Convention president says a Baptist state convention’s expulsion of a California church is a warning to other congregations considering the affirmation of lesbians and gays….
7 reasons why digital metrics matter to your church
By Natalie Aho Almost every receipt given to you these days has a survey link printed at the bottom. Businesses are so desperate for your feedback, they will waste paper and give away cash in exchange for your opinion. And…
Former youth minister faces abuse charges
By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist youth minister arrested Aug. 20 in Texas on a warrant has returned to Alabama to face charges of sexual abuse. Charles “Kyle” Adcock, 31, appeared Sept. 12 in Colbert County District Court in…
Uncivil conduct among Christians fuels church decline, says Baptist pastor and author
By Jeff Brumley Given the bitter, high-profile way Christians slug it out on social, political and theological issues these days, it’s no mystery why young people are leaving the church or avoiding it in the first place, Baptist minister and…
ERLC head says Baptists should reclaim separation of church and state
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for religious liberty says conservative Christians should reclaim the phrase “separation of church and state” in order to avoid government overreach in matters of faith. Russell Moore, president of the SBC…
Mideast Christians appeal for action
By Bob Allen Christian minorities are in danger of being eradicated in the Middle East, leaders of evangelical and Protestant denominations in Syria and Lebanon said in a joint statement Aug. 29. Leaders of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical…
Church seeks dismissal in abuse lawsuit
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist church in Alabama asked a federal judge Sept. 9 to dismiss a lawsuit alleging liability for child sex crimes committed by a former minister. Highland Park Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Ala., filed a…
The rise and fall and rise again of Joel Gregory
Imagine you’re a big-shot Hollywood producer, and you’re making a movie about the life of iconic Baptist preacher/pastor/professor Joel Gregory. You bet the film on casting character actor Paul Giamatti, who is 95 percent perfect to play Gregory. Giamatti mirrors…
California Baptists expel ‘third way’ church
This story hs been updated with a statement from New Heart Community Church. By Bob Allen A statewide affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention has booted a member church for advocating a “third way” of neither condemnation nor full embrace…
New partnership pact means more funds for CBF of Virginia
By Bob Allen The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the CBF of Virginia have a new partnership agreement designed to help the state organization to grow its staff. The move flows out of a recommendation by a blue-ribbon task force in…
Global Women head stepping down after eight years
By Bob Allen Cindy Dawson will step down Oct. 31 after eight years as executive director of Global Women, a woman-to-woman missions organization based in Birmingham, Ala., with international partnerships addressing sex trafficking, clean water, maternal health, education and economic development….