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,…
Southern Baptist church takes ‘third way’ on homosexuality
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist church in California drew scrutiny from denominational leaders and observers after voting May 18 not to dismiss a pastor who said he had changed his mind about homosexuality being a sin. New Heart Community…
For CBF Bahamas and its leader, new tie means increased influence in Caribbean
By Jeff Brumley Baptist John McIntosh knows it’s an honor to have been selected for the Bahamas Council of Bishops, whose members advocate for social justice and help establish churches across the island nation. But he knows something else, too:…
After 1,200 loads of laundry and 1,800 showers, relief efforts along border wrap up
By Ken Camp In the past two weeks, Baptist disaster relief workers washed more than 1,200 loads of laundry and made available about 1,800 showers to unaccompanied Latin American children detained along the Mexican border after they entered the United…
Professor says Michael Sam is no Jackie Robinson
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist pastor and seminary professor says Satan is pleased with comparisons being drawn between Michael Sam, the first openly gay football player drafted by the NFL, and Jackie Robinson, who broke Major League Baseball’s color…
SBC agencies support GuideStone lawsuit in contraceptive case
By Bob Allen Three sister Southern Baptist Convention entities filed a brief May 27 supporting GuideStone Financial Resources’ objection to being forced to indirectly provide what they regard as abortion-inducing drugs under Obamacare. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ethics and…
Decline in SBC membership, baptisms sparks leaders’ concern
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist churches in 2013 baptized the fewest converts since 1948 and have lost more than 570,000 members since 2006, according to annual statistics released May 28 by LifeWay Christian Resources. The Southern Baptist Convention publishing house…
Faith leaders say Medicaid expansion moral issue
By Bob Allen Faith leaders urged voter awareness in 24 states that are refusing to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in a conference call with reporters May 29. “History has not been kind to governors who stand in…