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…
SBC leader says Islam driving force behind ISIL
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention leader disputed President Obama’s assertion that the terrorist Islamic State is not “Islamic” as “unhelpful” and “fundamentally untruthful.” “We can certainly understand the president’s political predicament,” Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological…
For north Georgia church, a little soul but no blues
While the covered-dish supper has long been a staple of fellowship in Baptist churches, one congregation in Georgia is learning that in today’s economy food can also be a powerful tool for ministry. First Baptist Church in Dalton launched “Soul…
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Court hears challenge to clergy housing allowance
By Bob Allen The fate of a 60-year-old provision that allows churches to provide ministers with a tax-exempt “parsonage allowance” now lies in the hands of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Chicago-based appellate court heard oral arguments…
Illuminated Bible to be featured in BTSR exhibit
By Robert Dilday The first Bible to be written and illuminated entirely by hand since the invention of movable type more than 500 years ago will be on display next month at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond — the first…
Alumni association to submit settlement offer to Baylor University
By Ken Camp The Baylor Alumni Association will submit a final settlement offer to Baylor University in what a public statement from the organization characterized as “a last-ditch effort to avoid protracted litigation” between the group and the university. The…
Baptists enriched by repeated missions to Sioux
By Jeff Brumley Even the Oglala Lakota Sioux who haven’t embraced Christianity live out gospel values such as family, charity and self-sacrifice, Tennessean Sean Prince says. Prince is the organizer of an annual mission trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation…
SBC leader says churches must address violence against women
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for moral concerns says domestic violence is an issue not only of social justice but of theology as well. Russell Moore, president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, wrote…
Study: Seminaries do little to train pastor to help mentally ill congregants
By Terry Goodrich People struggling with mental illness often turn to pastors for help, but seminaries do very little to train ministers in how to recognize serious psychological distress and when to refer someone to a doctor or psychologist, according…