By Bob Allen A Kentucky Baptist Convention agency claims settlement of a 13-year lawsuit between a former children’s home employee fired because she is a lesbian and the Commonwealth of Kentucky convicts it without a trial of violating the religious…
SBC touts safeguard for gay-marriage foes
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is backing a bill filed in Congress to protect religious institutions and other nonprofit groups that don’t recognize same-sex marriage from possible discrimination. The Marriage and Religious Freedom Act,…
Author: Church should hear LGBT voices
By Bob Allen A new book by a gay Baptist minister says it is time for churches to stop asking questions about whether homosexuality is right or wrong and begin listening to the voices of gays and lesbians who are…
Author: Church should listen to LGBT voices
By Bob Allen A new book by a gay Baptist minister says it is time for churches to stop asking questions about whether homosexuality is right or wrong and begin listening to the voices of gays and lesbians who are…
BJC opposes local government prayer
By Bob Allen Opening local government meetings with prayer violates the conscience of not just religious minorities, but also of Christians who believe that worship must be voluntary, a Baptist church-state group argues in a legal brief filed Sept. 23…
VIEWPOINT: Letters from Jordan, the other Bible land, Part 1
In an attempt to stimulate tourism, the Jordan Tourism Board invited a group of editors and journalists to tour their country. I was fortunate enough to be included in the group. With good reason, Jordan has been called “The other…
Learning to lean — on others
By Vicki Brown Many Christians today view the church as being God’s hands and feet to the world in ministry to others, but don’t allow God to minister to them through the hands and feet of others. “Unfortunately, our culture…
High court asked to hear Hobby Lobby case
By Bob Allen The Obama administration is asking the Supreme Court to require Hobby Lobby to provide cost-free contraceptives as part of its employee insurance coverage over the religious objections of the Southern Baptist family who own the chain of…
NC clergy urge release of torture report
By Bob Allen The head of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina joined other faith leaders in a letter from the North Carolina Council of Churches seeking the public release of a 6,000-page Senate intelligence report on U.S. torture…
Henry Blackaby found, needs surgery
By Ken Camp Henry Blackaby, the Southern Baptist author of several books on spiritual renewal including the Experiencing God curriculum, suffered a heart attack while driving near his Atlanta home, became disoriented and was missing 29 hours before police found…
HERITAGE: Finding home
Two months ago Jonathan Cordell of Jacksonville, Fla., had never heard of Poplar Springs Baptist Church, the church of Slovakian heritage in the Richmond area. Interested in family history, he discovered the baptismal certificate of his great-grandfather, Martyn Gregor. In…
VITAL SIGNS: Where is your parish?
One of the polarities every minister must navigate is between ministry within the congregation and ministry in the surrounding community. Is the minister called to serve the members of the local church exclusively, or is there a larger call to…