By Bob Allen A judge in Florida has changed probation terms for a preacher who is a registered sex offender to allow the former Southern Baptist pastor to minister to children in his church. Darrell Gilyard, 52, began preaching at…
SBC leader says cake-decorating mom helped shape his religious liberty views
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists’ top spokesman for public policy says he knows from personal experience that religious-liberty concerns such as whether a cake decorator can refuse service for a same-sex wedding are anything but trite. Russell Moore, head of…
Former Wayland CFO pleads guilty to theft
By Bob Allen The former chief financial officer at Wayland Baptist University received five years in prison after pleading guilty to using university funds for personal expenses. The Amarillo Globe-News reported April 22 that James E. Smith, fired last year…
Baptists pushing hospitality beyond comfort zones — and discovering deeper spirituality
By Jeff Brumley Hospitality to a lot of Christians means taking a meal to a sick church friend or inviting neighbors over for a barbecue on Memorial Day. But neither of those meanings come even close to the spiritual practice…
CBF to announce new global missions coordinator April 30
By ABPnews/Herald staff The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will announce its new coordinator for global missions next week, filling a position vacant since June 2012, when Rob Nash became a mission professor at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology. Since then,…
Sexual sin not just problem for men, says woman at Baptist summit
By Bob Allen When it comes to sexuality, many women are suffering, the lone female plenary speaker at a Southern Baptist summit on sex said during the final session of the three-day gathering. “Some women are suffering, and some women…
Dismissed abuse lawsuit headed for appeal
By Bob Allen A lawsuit described as the biggest evangelical sex abuse scandal to date is headed for appeal, a year after being dismissed on a technicality, elders of the church involved informed members in a letter dated April 22….
Advocate says something missing at Baptist sex summit
By Bob Allen A victims’ advocate says there is a glaring omission at this week’s summit for Southern Baptist pastors on sexual issues — any mention on the program about the church’s response to sexual abuse. Amy Smith, a lifelong Southern…
Small church makes big strides despite location, trends
By Daniel Wallace and Jeff Brumley First Baptist Church of Covington, Texas, averaged slightly more than 50 in attendance when the congregation decided to build a sanctuary that seats 150 worshippers — in a community of 269 people. “We’re either crazy…
Merger plans collapse for struggling Virginia college
By Robert Dilday Plans for Virginia Intermont College to merge with a large Florida university have collapsed, leaving the struggling Baptist-affiliated school “financially distressed,” its president said. Earlier this year the Bristol, Va., college said it had initiated discussions to…
Judge says use of Caner video fair
By Bob Allen A federal judge has dismissed a Georgia Baptist college president’s lawsuit against a blogger who posted video to support allegations that a famous “Jihad to Jesus” testimony is bogus. A U.S. district judge in Fort Worth, Texas,…
Pressler says SBC controversy started in Houston church
By Bob Allen The “conservative resurgence” that transformed the Southern Baptist Convention three decades ago began in the halls of Second Baptist Church in Houston, the movement’s chief architect told seminary students April 15. Paul Pressler, a former Texas Appeals…