By Robert Dilday The Virginia Baptist Mission Board has launched a response to the burgeoning Ebola crisis in West Africa, allocating funds for relief and educational work and partnering with a group of Liberian expatriates who are mobilizing support in…
Real or imagined, persecution appears to part of Christian DNA
By Jeff Brumley Matt Cook says he frequently hears from fellow Baptists worried that the steady cultural shift away from church and faith may spell persecution for traditional Christians. It’s a fear born of constant news reports and anecdotes about…
BJC breaks down Hobby Lobby ruling
By Bob Allen Two Baptist experts in religious liberty law say the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of a 1993 federal law intended to bolster religious freedom in the recent Hobby Lobby decision could set a precedent for future rulings applying…
Culpepper stepping down after 20 years as McAfee dean
By Bob Allen Alan Culpepper, founding dean of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, is stepping down after nearly two decades at the end of the current academic year. After a sabbatical, he plans to teach full time on the…
St. Louis pastor says racial violence not justified, but anger is
By Bob Allen A white Baptist pastor in St. Louis says he cannot condone rioting in nearby Ferguson, Mo., but he understands the anger about a black teenager killed by police Aug. 9. On Wednesday police used teargas to disperse…
Campbellsville, KBC leaders discuss partnership
By Bob Allen A month after airing public criticism of each other, representatives of Campbellsville University and the Kentucky Baptist Convention are talking again about continuing to work together following the school’s move to a self-perpetuating board of trustees. Leaders…
Evangelical child molester sentenced to 40 years
By Bob Allen A former youth worker convicted of sexually abusing boys in the 1980s at a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Maryland was sentenced Aug. 14 to 40 years in prison. Nathaniel Morales, 56, was found guilty in May…
Do you solemnly swear — on this Kindle?
By Jeff Brumley It’s hardly news anymore to see someone in church using a smartphone or tablet, instead of a printed Bible, to follow along in Scripture. Many pastors have embraced the paper-for-digital swap themselves, often using iPads or tablets…
Contemporary Christian musician under fire for doubting Genesis
By Bob Allen Contrary to reports, LifeWay Christian Stores have not stopped selling music by a contemporary Christian artist under fire for stating he does not believe narratives in the early chapters of Genesis are to be taken literally. Marty…
Tennessee judge bucks string of rulings on same-sex marriage
By Bob Allen For the first time in over a year, a judge in Tennessee ruled recently that a state does not have to accept as valid a same-sex marriage performed legally in another state. The Aug. 5 ruling in…
‘Don’t eat alone’ is metaphor for healthy Christian life, says minister-chef
By Norman Jameson Forty-two years ago Milton Brasher-Cunningham first heard the words that rescued him, like a strong arm lifting a drowning person to safety. He was 16 and the new missionary kid from Africa in a big Houston school,…
SBC leader joins call for military action in Iraq
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top public-policy expert joined Princeton University professor Robert George and numerous other intellectuals in urging the use of military force against a militant group seeking to set up an Islamic state across Sunni…