By Bob Allen A gay Baptist minister arrested in January for refusing to leave a county clerk’s office that denied him and his partner a marriage license was convicted Nov. 26 of trespassing and fined a penny for the crime….
Gay couple fined 1 cent for trespassing
Hearing held in Glorieta lawsuit
By Bob Allen A federal judge in New Mexico has removed 113 individuals from a lawsuit against two Southern Baptist Convention agencies challenging the recent sale of Glorieta Conference Center named in subpoenas that convention lawyers say were improperly served….
Supreme Court to hear Hobby Lobby case
By Bob Allen The Supreme Court agreed Nov. 26 to accept cases challenging mandated contraception coverage in the health care reform law known as Obamacare. Justices announced they would hear cases with plaintiffs including Hobby Lobby, the Oklahoma-based arts-and-crafts retailer…
Longtime pastor to Jimmy Carter dies
By John Pierce Dan Ariail, pastor emeritus of Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., where thousands of visitors attend Sunday worship and Bible studies by President Jimmy Carter each year, died Nov. 25 in hospice care in Albany. He was…
Longtime pastor to Jimmy Carter dies
By John Pierce Dan Ariail, pastor emeritus of Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where thousands of visitors attend Sunday worship and Bible studies by President Jimmy Carter each year, died Nov. 25 in hospice care in Albany, Ga. He was…
‘Redneck opera singer’ got start in church
By Jeff Brumley Paris sounds like the natural home town for any world-class opera singer. But for Jay Hunter Morris, one of the top operatic tenors on the planet, it all started in Paris, Texas. And a career that’s made…
Court strikes down clergy tax break
Editor’s note: This story was edited after posting to correct an error in the final paragraph. By Bob Allen A federal judge said Nov. 23 that an IRS rule allowing clergy to avoid paying taxes on a part of their…
HERITAGE: Perfect timing
Iris Ellen Wright Taylor of Waynesboro, Va., visited the Virginia Baptist Historical Society on a recent Wednesday. She came to present a second installment of papers and books related to her grandfather, James Henry Wright, who was a Baptist minister…
HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic
Accepted a new call? Been ordained? Church celebrating an anniversary? Mission trip or project that you would like highlighted on the HeraldBeat page? Send info to HeraldBeat editor Barbara Francis at [email protected]. Transitions ON THE MOVE Paul Burgess, to Benson…
WINN RECOMMENDS: Books that matter
The Relational Pastor, Andrew Root (IVP) We pastors know that we are not to view people as mere resources, that “getting church done” and “building the church” can be true perversions of our calling. How often, however, does someone call…
VITAL SIGNS: The reformation of your church
I have had the privilege of working with numerous congregations to clarify their identity and lean into the future proactively. When that has gone well, one consequence has nearly always been true. The fresh vision requires a significant shift in…