By Bob Allen A California judge ruled July 11 that a Baptist university was within its rights to expel a transgender student for violating the school’s moral code but went too far in barring her from university-controlled businesses and services…
Experts seek balance between optimism and pessimism in future of congregations
By Jeff Brumley LifeWay President and CEO Thom Rainer has declared himself an “obnoxious optimist” about the state of American churches despite years of declines and closures in a post-Christian, post-church culture. In a July 11 column in The Christian…
Kentucky Baptist Convention leaders, Campbellsville University trustees clash
By Bob Allen Eight months after ending ties with Georgetown College, the Kentucky Baptist Convention warned trustees of Campbellsville University that a governance change reportedly up for a vote this week could jeopardize their school’s relationship to the state affiliate…
Jonathan Merritt explores how he took hold of ‘a thread called grace’
In his latest book, faith and culture writer Jonathan Merritt delves into a yearlong inward journey to recover a faith that had grown spiritually dry. ABPnews/Herald asked him what led him to write Jesus Is Better Than You Imagined and…
Richard Land says transgenderism ‘ultimate rebellion’
By Bob Allen Transgenderism is “the ultimate rebellion” against God’s created order, a former Southern Baptist leader said recently in a television interview. Richard Land, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary near Charlotte, N.C., made the comment June 26 on Newsmax…
Baptists light up Twitter after release of torture report
‘War on poverty’ remains incomplete after half century, say advocates
It had all the marks of a transformational moment in American life. When President Lyndon B. Johnson declared “unconditional war on poverty” in 1964, around 19 percent of the nation lived in poverty. For the first time a sitting president…
‘We just need to be the church,’ says anti-poverty activist
Fifty years ago the United States declared war on poverty. Half a century and trillions of dollars later, what’s been accomplished? Is it an incomplete triumph or a wasteful failure? What really captured my thought was the slogan itself —…
Seven things you should know about poverty
$23,021 — The official poverty line for a family of four. It’s $11,484 for an individual. 15.1% — The number of Americans (46 million) in poverty, by the most common official figure. In 2007 the figure was 12.5 percent. 11.1% —…
South African tapped to lead Baptist World Alliance
By Jeff Brumley American John Upton has been succeeded by South African Ngwedla Paul Msiza to lead the Baptist World Alliance. Msiza, 53, is only the second African ever elected to the BWA presidency. The first was Liberian William Tolbert,…
BWA resolution calls surge of child immigrants a ‘humanitarian crisis’
By Ken Camp The surge of unaccompanied children from Central America into the United States “is not primarily an issue of unprotected borders but a humanitarian crisis,” according to a resolution the Baptist World Alliance General Council approved in Izmir,…
Veteran activists say LGBT inclusion nothing new
By Bob Allen The pastor of a Kentucky Baptist church making national headlines for changing its wedding policy to include same-sex couple admits he is a little surprised by all the attention. “This seems like big news for us, but…