By Bob Allen A support group for survivors of clergy sexual abuse is asking the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee to hire an independent consultant to investigate two churches’ handling of confessions by a former staff member subsequently convicted of…
Church sued for abuse that occurred at VBS
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist church in Tennessee is being sued for $2 million by a mother whose 10-year-old daughter was sexually abused while attending Vacation Bible School in 2009. The girl, now 15, and her mother both use…
Ethnic churches do better with Millennials, but challenges remain
By Jeff Brumley Go to Google and type “Millennials, church,” and the screen will be dominated by links to articles, blogs and studies documenting that generation’s exodus from American congregations. What irks some, however, is that evidence is being overlooked…
Faith leaders support reducing mandatory sentences for drug offenses
By Bob Allen More than 1,100 clergy and faith leaders urged Congress to pass legislation reducing federal mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses in a June 3 letter to party leaders in the House and Senate. A total of 1,129…
Transgender resolution proposed to SBC
By Bob Allen A college professor and ethicist would like for the Southern Baptist Convention to pass a resolution opposing “transgender identity” — described in a recent Time cover story as “America’s next civil rights frontier” — when the convention meets next…
Ethnic churches fare better with Millennials, but challenges remain
By Jeff Brumley Go to Google and type “Millennials, church,” and the screen will be dominated by links to articles, blogs and studies documenting that generation’s exodus from American congregations. What irks some, however, is that evidence is being overlooked…
Baylor Alumni Association considers options for future
By Ken Camp When Baylor Alumni Association members gather for their fall meeting, they likely will choose one of three options as the organization’s primary function going forward — award financial assistance to Baylor University students, communicate with members or…
Alliance of Baptists joins first faith-based challenge to gay-marriage ban
By Bob Allen A national Baptist and Jewish organization have joined the United Church of Christ and a number of individual ministers and church members in the first faith-based challenge to same-sex marriage bans in the United States. The Alliance…
ERLC pays tribute to Hobby Lobby owners
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists will honor the Christian owners of Hobby Lobby next week in Baltimore for refusing to pay for employee insurance coverage for birth control methods as required by Obamacare. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and…
Ministry to more than 100,000 women in prison requires distinctive approach
By Robert Dilday A woman released from prison faced a tough choice — return to her hometown, where her children lived, or start a new life elsewhere. She longed for her children, but returning home also meant reconnecting with friends…
Former SBC megachurch sold to Catholics
By Bob Allen A once-prominent Southern Baptist church in Nashville, Tenn., downsized and rebranded after controversy over finances, lawsuits and excommunications, has voted to sell its 220,000-square-foot building and 37.5-acre grounds to the Catholic Diocese of Nashville for $12.5 million….
North Korea sends South Korean Baptist missionary to labor camp
By ABPnews/Herald staff North Korea has sentenced a South Korean Baptist missionary to a labor camp for life for allegedly spying and for trying to build underground churches in the country, according to several news reports. The missionary, Kim Jong-uk,…