By Bob Allen An 87-year-old former Soviet-era prisoner of conscience and Baptist pastor has been fined for conducting religious activities without state permission in Kazakhstan. Forum 18, an international news service that monitors religious freedom violations, says Yegor Prokopenko, pastor…
Conference links intelligent design to ‘essential’ doctrines of Christianity
By Bob Allen Critics of a view of creation termed “intelligent design” describe a conference this weekend, co-sponsored by Houston Baptist University, as an admission that the movement’s roots lie not in science, as proponents insist, but in religion. Faith…
Report: SACS to investigate Louisiana College
By Bob Allen The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools plans to investigate media reports that documents submitted leading to reaffirmation of Louisiana College’s accreditation in December may have been forged, The Town Talk newspaper in Alexandria, La., reported March…
Faith leaders oppose Miss. religion bill
By Bob Allen Baptist signers including ABPnew/Herald columnists Amy Butler and David Gushee were among more than 350 clergy leaders across the United States opposing a bill in Mississippi that critics say would legalize discrimination by commercial businesses throughout the…
‘Pilgrimage’ to the South’s civil rights sites to explore religion, culture
By Jeff Brumley A Mercer University-led tour of the American South will expose participants to some of the culture, history, politics, architecture, food, religion and key locations that informed and drove the nation’s civil rights movement. In other words, one of…
Former Louisiana College VP files lawsuit
By Bob Allen A former Louisiana College administrator sued the Louisiana Baptist Convention-affiliated school March 11 claiming wrongful termination after he filed a whistleblower report alleging misconduct by the school’s president. Timothy Johnson, former executive vice president at Louisiana College,…
White House, faith leaders, discuss disability
By Bob Allen American Baptist Home Mission Societies was among 16 faith groups represented at a White House meeting March 10 on issues including support within the religious community for a U.N. disability treaty opposed by conservative Republicans in the…
New York church giving away assault rifle
By Bob Allen An independent Baptist pastor in upstate New York is offering a drawing for an AR-15 assault rifle on March 23, one-upping the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s controversial “Second Amendment Celebrations,” which give away shotguns and rifles to lure…
Mohler says gay marriage a religious-liberty threat
By Bob Allen “Religious liberty has never been threatened in our lifetimes, and probably in terms of the American experiment, like it will be threatened with same-sex marriage,” Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, warned in a video…
Pastor: Not all Baptists OK with guns in church
By Bob Allen Twenty-five Georgia Baptists including staff members of the Decatur-based Cooperative Baptist Fellowship joined a pastor in disputing claims that a Georgia Baptist Convention official spoke for Georgia Baptists when he testified in support of legislation to allow…
In quest to empower the vulnerable, Global Women hears ‘heartbreaking stories’
By Jennifer Harris Dault “We are all part of an amazing story — God’s story.” That was the message Cindy Dawson, executive director of Global Women, hoped to communicate at her group’s Summit March 7-8 in St. Louis. The Summit…
North American Baptists ask, what will we look like in 50 years?
By Robert Dilday The North American Baptist Fellowship marked its 50th anniversary March 6-7 with a nod to the past while focusing on what the group’s general secretary called one of its greatest challenges — finding a mission and vision…