By Jeff Brumley C.S. Lewis did it during his lifetime and he’s continued to do it in the 50 years since his death on Nov. 22, 1963: inspire Christians from theologically diverse traditions through his theological and fictional work. Box…
New Baptist Covenant enters work phase
By Bob Allen A century and a half after the Civil War divided Baptists in America into separate congregations predominantly black and white, a diverse group of U.S. Baptists is exploring ways to cross boundaries of identity, doctrine and ethnicity…
Faith leaders protest race in sentencing
By Bob Allen Local and national Baptists are among 27 evangelical leaders signing a Nov. 21 letter on behalf of an African-American man condemned to death after his sentencing jury was told he was likely to be a future danger…
SBC leader: Women’s equality ‘false gospel’
By Bob Allen Egalitarian couples “preach a false gospel” by viewing men and women as equal partners in marriage, the Southern Baptist Convention’s top expert on family concerns says in an interview posted on his agency’s website. “God designed us…
Orphan study transforms implementers
By Jeff Brumley Journeys of Faith is an ongoing project designed to help members of Cooperative Baptist and other churches rethink their beliefs about orphan care, especially in far-flung lands where orphanages have been the go-to solution. Organizers say the…
CBF church gives building to SBC plant
By Bob Allen A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church in Baltimore has voted to disband and donate facilities valued at $2 million to a Southern Baptist church plant launched nearby five years ago. Patterson Park Baptist Church was constituted in 1913…
Faith leaders say it’s time to close Gitmo
By Bob Allen The head of American Baptist Churches USA joined other faith leaders in a Nov. 18 letter urging senators to support President Obama’s efforts to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ABC/USA General Secretary Roy Medley…
Mahaney, Mohler share speaker platform
By Bob Allen An embattled preacher at the center of what has been called the biggest evangelical sexual-abuse scandal to date heaped praise on a Southern Baptist leader criticized for sticking by him at a weekend conference attended by both…
Singing faith: Hymns both praise and teach
By Ken Camp Last summer’s controversy over removal of the contemporary hymn “In Christ Alone” from a new Presbyterian hymnal over doctrinal differences on how to understand the atonement illustrates the importance of church music not only to celebrate but…
Baptist fined for magazine subscription
By Bob Allen A Baptist in Tajikistan was fined after three church members received magazines from outside the country that officials said violated the country’s ban on production, import, export, selling and distribution of religious literature. The Norway-based news service…
Singing Faith: The great texts endure
By Ken Camp Musical tastes and worship styles come and go, but some hymns of the church endure for centuries. Worship leaders say hymns that cross denominational lines and span generations are those that people can embrace as a shared…
‘Churchy’ lingo turning off Millennials
By Jeff Brumley If there were an 11th commandment, for Millennials it might be “thou shalt ban pious slogans from thy midst.” In fact, faith-based lingo — like “everything happens for a reason” and “God is in control” — is coming…