By Bob Allen The Missouri Supreme Court declined May 27 to review a lower court ruling ending a 12-year-old legal battle over ownership of a Baptist camp that declared independence from the Missouri Baptist Convention in 2001. The refusal leaves…
Serbian Baptists appeal for help after deadly flooding
By ABPnews/Herald Staff Baptists in Serbia are appealing for assistance for victims of deadly floods which have inundated large parts of southeast Europe. Heavy rainfall between May 14 and 17 caused heavy flooding and landslides, killing at least 62 people…
Grandson says Fred Phelps changed mind about gays
By Bob Allen Fred Phelps, founder of the virulently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., may have been excommunicated for having a change of heart toward homosexuals, his grandson revealed in a statement posted on Facebook and an interview…
d365 releases daily devotionals on free app
By ABPnews/Herald staff Passport Inc., an ecumenical student ministry with ties to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, is releasing a free app for daily devotionals on iPad, iPhone and other iOS devices. The app draws from the same content and writers…
Religion played role in sowing seeds of future conflict in World War I, says researcher
By Terry Goodrich World War I — the “war to end all wars” — sowed seeds for future international conflicts in a way that has been largely overlooked through religion, says a Baylor University historian. As the 100th anniversary of…
N.C. pastor Matt Cook nominated as CBF moderator-elect
By Emily Holladay North Carolina pastor Matt Cook has been nominated as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s moderator-elect, it was announced May 27. Cook, who serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Wilmington, N.C., has deep roots in CBF life…
SBC leader enters Twitter fray
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention official criticized bloggers commenting on a recent criminal trial for jumping to conclusions about allegations that a popular Calvinist speaker with ties to SBC leaders conspired to withhold reporting of child sex abuse…
Baptist editor blasts same-sex divorce
By Bob Allen A Missouri Baptist leader criticized two circuit court judges for granting divorces to females wed in another state that, unlike Missouri, recognizes same-sex marriage. Don Hinkle, director of public policy for the Missouri Baptist Convention, accused the…
SBC official stands by criticism of SNAP
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention official has refused to apologize for comments seven years ago that critics of the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse were not really advocating on behalf of children but rather were opportunists motivated by…
Churches, like Christ, must de-stigmatize mental illness, embrace those who suffer from it
By Bill Webb Humankind has struggled with the matter of mental disorders — or mental illness — as long as people can remember. And the same can be said for Christians, from the time of Christ to the present moment….
Baptists on U.S.-Mexican border offer aid in sudden influx of unaccompanied children
By Ken Camp Baptist volunteers along the U.S.-Mexican border are providing temporary emergency care and other services for a sudden flux of unaccompanied children from Latin America who entered the United States without documentation. Federal authorities detained the undocumented children…
Washington pastor to serve as interim executive for D.C. Baptist Convention
By Robert Dilday Washington pastor Kendrick Curry has been named interim executive director/minister of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention. Curry, senior pastor of Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church in the District, will provide leadership until a successor is chosen for…