By Bob Allen An Arkansas couple suing Southern Baptist Convention officials in federal court claim that secular courts have jurisdiction over the internal workings of a church when it involves property disputes or misuse of its articles of incorporation. In…
William Hull, scholar, author, dies at 83
By Bob Allen William Hull, a renowned Baptist preacher, author and provost at both Samford University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, died Dec. 10 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Hull, 83, taught New Testament 17 years at Southern…
Clergy hopeful about ‘Daniel Plan’
By Jeff Brumley Ministers who specialize in health and spiritual formation are hopeful Rick Warren’s new food-and-faith program may boost ongoing efforts to link body and soul in the minds of Baptists and other Christians. The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to…
Clergy reissue call for background checks
By Bob Allen With the one-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., looming Dec. 14, 53 national faith leaders asked Congress to support bipartisan legislation that extends background checks to private gun…
Satanists want equal time in Oklahoma
By Bob Allen Controversy over a Ten Commandments monument on grounds of the Oklahoma State Capitol took a surprising twist when Satanists sought to place a statue of their own alongside it. According to media reports, the New York-based Satanic…
Baptist hospital exits church consulting
By Bob Allen The Center for Congregational Health, a joint venture between Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina founded in 1992 to provide assistance for struggling churches, will be renamed and restructured to…
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Church rehabs home for ministry outreach
By Jeff Brumley Gary Montgomery recalled the first time, a couple years ago or so, he laid eyes on the foreclosed, rundown house a bank had donated to his Tallahassee-based prison, ex-offender and family ministry. “The bathtub fell into the…
CBF leaders join pope’s poverty prayer
By Bob Allen Leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship are endorsing Pope Francis’ “global wave of prayer” to end world hunger on Dec. 10. On Tuesday, the CBFblog will highlight ministries of CBF field personnel working to end hunger around…
Ruling removes what has been called the most important tax benefit available to ministers
(ABP) — A federal judge said Nov. 23 that an IRS rule allowing clergy to avoid paying taxes on a part of their income designated as a housing allowance violates the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state. Senior United…
Bible Belt Baptists can learn from small Baptist minorities overseas
If they have ears to hear, Baptists in places like the United States’ Bible Belt, where Christianity is the norm, can learn lessons from Baptist minorities in other parts of the world, Baptist World Alliance leaders insist. Many Baptists in…
Humanitarian aid, human rights advocacy bolster Baptist witness
Aid and advocacy create a positive witness for Baptists globally, leaders of the Baptist World Alliance noted. When Raimundo Barreto, director of the BWA division of freedom and justice, was in Vietnam a couple of years ago, a government official…