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….
Seeking God through worship — and jazz
By Jeff Brumley For centuries, Baptist and other churches have sought encounters with the divine through music. The quest has led to everything from organs and hymns to guitars, drum sets and praise bands. Now there are those hoping the…
New CBF moderator takes up gavel, ‘grateful’ for group’s prayers
By Bob Allen The new moderator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship opened her first meeting as presiding officer of the CBF Governing Board with gratitude for prayers and support during a family medical emergency that forced her to miss this…
BGAV moves closer to far-reaching governance shift
By Robert Dilday A key committee has taken the Baptist General Association of Virginia a step closer to what will be the most significant change in the 1,400-church denomination’s governance in nearly 100 years. The executive committee of the Virginia…
Baptist film critics: Christian films and audiences must evolve
By Jeff Brumley Organizers hope a first-ever gathering of Hollywood and Christian leaders in Los Angeles tomorrow will spark ideas for movies and television shows that will positively influence society. But a Baptist pastor and film critic says there’s an…
Gushee urges CBF to reclaim lost ethical tradition
By Bob Allen One casualty of the Southern Baptist Convention conflict that led to formation of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the early 1990s was a robust Baptist witness on issues of social justice, theologian David Gushee told CBF leaders…