By Jeff Brumley Janet Pan firmly believes there will be no segregation in heaven, which may be no surprise from the pastor the Chinese Baptist Church of Raleigh, N.C. “Heaven is filled with Chinese and Africans and people of all…
Dueling columns pit SBC leader against pundits
By Bob Allen The head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission pushed back at criticism by Fox News analyst Kirsten Powers and culture writer Jonathan Merritt that it’s hypocritical for a Christian photographer to refuse to…
Baptist seminary in Liberia reopens after forced closure
By Bob Allen A labor judge’s Jan. 6 order shutting down the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary has been lifted, the school’s interim president announced Feb. 21. National Labor Court Judge Comfort Natt ordered the closure over the seminary’s refusal to…
In sermon and blog, preacher laments ‘lily white’ Jesus
By Jeff Brumley As both a writer, comedian and a pastor, Susan Sparks knows how to work an audience and a congregation. And whether on stage or behind the pulpit, she also knows how to raise eyebrows and a temper…
Former SBC leader warns of ‘thriving business’ behind gay surrogacy
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s former top expert on moral and public policy concerns says same-sex marriage is opening doors for a gay-surrogacy movement that he predicts will be harmful to children. “We’ve conducted a 40-year experiment in…
Jury awards $2.3 million in pastor’s wrongful death
By Bob Allen A federal jury has awarded more than $2.3 million to the widow of a Georgia Baptist pastor shot and killed in a botched drug investigation in 2009. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Gainesville, Ga., determined that…
Pastor’s wrongful death lawsuit goes to jury
By Bob Allen A civil trial involving a Baptist pastor killed in 2009 by police who mistook him for a suspected drug dealer is in the hands of a jury. After closing arguments on Wednesday, jurors in U.S. District Court…
Alleged abuse by children’s minister headed for grand jury
By Bob Allen An Alabama children’s minister charged with multiple sex crimes remains in jail after his lawyer withdrew a motion for reduced bond and waived a preliminary hearing on Feb. 18. Attorney Billy Underwood had filed a motion on…
At 10, Facebook making major ministry impact
By Jeff Brumley Facebook turned 10 this month, eliciting countless articles and blogs about the cultural, personal and technological changes the world’s most popular social media site has generated in the past decade. But another area of major impact is…
U.S. Baptist church group amid violence in Kiev
By Bob Allen Violence in the Ukraine is up close and personal for a Southern Baptist church in Texas praying for an eight-member mission team working with college students Feb. 13-March 2 in Kiev. Missionaries from First Baptist Church in…
SBC leader says Russia isn’t pro-family, despite anti-gay laws
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for moral and public policy concerns says Russian President Vladimir Putin lacks moral authority to criticize Western countries for abandoning Christian values. “It really kind of makes my blood boil when…
Union University student charged with murder
By Bob Allen A Union University Christian ministry major is being held without bond in Jackson, Tenn., on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the homicide of his fiancée, who was found dead from a…