By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist pastor and seminary professor says the story of Jesus forgiving a woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John is not in the earliest texts, belongs in a footnote and should not be…
Pastor terms U.S. policies ‘a re-assassination’ of Martin Luther King
By Bob Allen America honors Martin Luther King 46 years after his assassination with statues and a federal holiday but has done little to challenge “the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism” that King struggled to oppose, according to…
Top DC Baptist exec stepping down, taking new position in Ky.
By Robert Dilday Ricky Creech will step down as executive director/minister of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention April 24 to take the helm of a faith-based nonprofit in Kentucky which provides services to troubled youths in parts of Appalachia….
Golden Gate seminary selling campus, moving
By Bob Allen Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary is selling its 126-acre campus with sweeping views of San Francisco Bay for an undisclosed price, the seminary’s president told faculty, staff and students April 1. President Jeff Iorg said the school,…
Mississippi religion bill gets new life
By Bob Allen A revised “Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act” held up over concerns that it could legitimize discrimination against gays has passed the state legislature and is on its way to the governor. Both houses voted April 1 in…
Moderate Baptists to see second pastoral residency program
By Jeff Brumley Nothing John Jay Alvaro learned in divinity school prepared him for the “weird social dynamics” that goes with leading a church. Biblical languages, hermeneutics and even the occasional preaching class provided no guidance in how to manage…
Va. Baptist global mission strategy marks milestone with director’s retirement
By Robert Dilday Virginia Baptists’ global missions strategy will mark a milestone April 30 with the retirement of Jerry Jones, who has overseen a 12-year expansion of the program. Jones, a mission strategist for the past 40 years, has directed…
Pastor seeks to rally black Baptists against ‘stand your ground’ laws
By Bob Allen A Florida pastor running for president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., is spearheading a national effort to mobilize the African-American faith community against “stand your ground” laws permitting the use of deadly force in self-defense….
In new book, Merritt reveals childhood abuse, questions about sexual identity
By Bob Allen With his writing career in full swing, faith-and-culture author Jonathan Merritt ended a 2009 USA Today commentary with a challenge to his fellow evangelical Christians. “Now is the time for those who bear the name of Jesus…
ACLU defends student’s right to read Bible
By Bob Allen The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee is speaking up for an elementary school student reportedly told he could not read the Bible during an after-school program funded by taxpayers. The group often in the news for…
On 20th anniversary, CBFNC adopts vision statement to navigate future
By Robert Dilday A vision statement adopted March 29 by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina offers a new “way of seeing” the group’s future, say CBFNC leaders. Two years in the making, the statement proposed by a 13-member…
Seminary website lists aspects of ‘biblical womanhood’
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist seminary has released a statement by women and for women to counter misunderstanding and negativity that the authors say abound on what they call biblical womanhood. Biblical Woman, online home for women’s programs at…