By Bob Allen The new head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm announced Aug. 11 the re-launch of a Research Institute to employ the denomination’s top scholars in engaging complex issues of the day. Russell Moore, president of…
Obamacare changes the way faith-based hospitals deliver care
By Bob Allen Whether most Americans like it or not, the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — is now the law, and faith-based health care providers say it’s changing the way hospitals view patient care. A new…
Baylor Alumni Association files counterclaim in dispute with university
By Ken Camp After failing to reach a settlement with Baylor University, which has filed a lawsuit against it, the Baylor Alumni Association has filed a counterclaim asserting the school breached its license and recognition agreements and its promise to…
Search for lobbyist’s wife enters second month
By Bob Allen The search for a Missouri Baptist lobbyist’s wife continues a month after she disappeared without a trace from her home on a 270-acre family farm an hour south of St. Louis. Lynn Messer, 52, was reported missing…
Baptists in Gaza appeal for prayer after month of shelling
By Bob Allen The Baptist World Alliance asked Aug. 7 for prayer and financial support for Baptists and other Christians struggling to meet humanitarian needs in Gaza. Hanna Massad, former pastor of the Gaza Baptist Church and now living in…
Texas shelter plans cancelled, but needs continue along border
By Ken Camp A federal agency has cancelled plans to provide shelters in Dallas for unaccompanied children who entered the United States from Central America, but family ministries to immigrants continue in Laredo and McAllen on the Texas border. Judge…
Court considers gay marriage arguments affecting four states
By Bob Allen A gay Baptist minister suing for the right to marry his partner in their home state of Kentucky said he was encouraged after attending yesterday’s hearing at a federal courthouse in Cincinnati challenging bans on same-sex marriage…
Baptist leader in Missouri arrested for seeking sex with animal
By Vicki Brown Windermere Baptist Conference Center in Missouri will choose a new executive following the arrest of Jerald “Jerry” Hill on charges of soliciting sex with an animal, its board chair said Aug. 7. According to several news reports,…
In this case, missional means a contemplative sculpture garden
By Jeff Brumley The term “missional” evokes images of churches partnering with existing ministries and nonprofits in the neighborhoods around them. Connecting with God’s work leads other churches to open their facilities to homeless or emergency shelters, feeding programs or…
Weighing in on border crisis, SBC president says Jesus was an immigrant
By Bob Allen The president of the Southern Baptist Convention says Jesus would be sympathetic to the plight of undocumented children flocking to the southern U.S. border, because as a child he also lived as an immigrant. Ronnie Floyd, senior…
West African Baptists take measures as Ebola outbreak worsens
By Eron Henry The Baptist Convention of Sierra Leone has created a Baptist Ebola Task Force “to coordinate the sensitization of Ebola outbreak in its various churches and other public places.” That’s the latest response by Baptists in West Africa…
SBC leader blasts Jimmy Carter’s call for recognition of Hamas
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention leader criticized former President Jimmy Carter’s suggestion that Washington should recognize Hamas as a legitimate political actor as “morally reprehensible” and “an outrage.” Carter, a lifelong Baptist, joined Mary Robinson, a former president…