By Bob Allen Two Southern Baptist leaders in Kentucky and a retired megachurch pastor have joined more than a dozen other groups vying for the venue of a highly anticipated debate between U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his…
Prison beard case is Supreme Court’s next church-state decision
By Bob Allen Religious liberty advocates say a case headed toward the U.S. Supreme Court Oct. 7 over whether Arkansas prison officials have the right to deny permission for a Muslim inmate to grow a half-inch beard for religious reasons…
Churches widen impact, relevance by working with outside groups
By Jeff Brumley Flanked by two of her three young children, Virginian Brenda Espinet broke into tears Saturday morning before about 35 Floridians, giving thanks for their generosity and admitting a little embarrassment at needing their financial and other assistance….
‘Third-way’ Baptist church faces possible expulsion
By Bob Allen The 175-church Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association is expected to vote this fall on whether to expel a member church for embracing a “third way” besides discrimination against or unqualified endorsement of people who identify as gay….
Ornate sanctuaries no distraction from the Word, Baptist pastors say
By Jeff Brumley You can strip a sanctuary of symbols, remove all vestiges of beauty and deny any value the aesthetic may have in worship. But experts say those elements almost always creep back into the church — one way or…
Hispanic pastors rally to pray at the border
By Leah Allen More than 50 Hispanic ministers and family members gathered in McAllen, Texas, July 26 to pray for those involved in the border crisis, as thousands of undocumented Central American families and unaccompanied minors enter the United States….
Should churches, denominations bear responsibility for unethical clergy? Some ethicists say yes.
By Vicki Brown Ministers are responsible for their actions as individuals, sometimes by civil authorities and ultimately by God. But what responsibility, if any, should the local church and the denomination bear for unethical behavior of their pastors and other…
Trial date set for accused molester
By Bob Allen A trial date has been set in the case of a North Carolina man charged with taking indecent liberties with four boys while acting as chaperone of a group attending a Baptist church camp. Clyde Wesley Way…
Baptists joining financial, spiritual fight against Ebola outbreak
By Jeff Brumley The calls to action and prayer seem to be spreading as fast as the Ebola virus currently ravaging parts of Africa — with Baptists and other Christians squarely in the sights of the terrifying disease and the effort…
Al Sharpton opens voter-rights center with rally at historic Baptist church
By Bob Allen Activist and ordained Pentecostal minister Al Sharpton challenged a crowd July 30 at the historic 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., to reclaim voting rights hard won during Freedom Summer, a voter-registration effort credited with bringing…
Baptist school mourns loss of president’s son
By Bob Allen A Baptist college in Georgia fighting the possible loss of accreditation turned to mourning July 30 with news that President Ergun Caner’s 15-year-old son had died unexpectedly. Braxton Paige Caner, a rising sophomore at Aledo High School…
Millennials warn churches against catering to their generation
By Jeff Brumley Many American congregations are modernizing worship in an effort to lure Millennials and other young people either into church or back to church. “For some, the instinct is to radically alter the old model: out with the…