By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court Aug. 2 defending prayers offered in Jesus’ name at government meetings. The first legal brief filed since Russell Moore…
Gay minister’s trespassing trial begins
By Bob Allen The trial for an openly gay ordained Baptist minister and his partner arrested in January for refusing to leave a government building where they were denied a marriage license begins today in Louisville, Ky. Pretrial hearings were scheduled…
Baptist ethicist signs abuse petition
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist ethicist has endorsed an online petition urging greater transparency about sexual abuse occurring in evangelical churches. Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor ofMoral Philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., added his signature to “A Public…
Mo. youth group safe after bus wreck
By Bob Allen Quick thinking by a church bus driver is credited with saving lives in a July 17 crash at a youth camp in Georgia. Seventeen people were injured when a bus carrying the First Baptist Church of St….
Church loses new pastor to drowning
By Bob Allen A Baptist church in Connecticut is mourning the death of a recently called pastor who died July 29 during a family vacation in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Greg Hamby, 52, pastor of First Baptist Church in Essex, Conn.,…
Residents still fighting Tenn. mosque
By Bob Allen Mosque opponents in Murfreesboro, Tenn., want the county to seize a newly constructed Islamic Center and turn it over to someone else. J. Thomas Smith, an attorney for citizens asking the Tennessee Supreme Court to overturn an…
REVIEW: In ‘Fruitvale Station’ an opportunity to dialog about one of America’s toughest issues
A friend posted a comment on Facebook that bears repeating. She said, “I never cry at movies. In fact, I rarely cry at all. That changed Wednesday when I went to see Fruitvale Station.” Fruitvale Station tells the true story…
Living sacrifice: What does it mean for Christians to sacrifice today?
In biblical times, priests offered animal and grain sacrifices — as thanksgiving or to seek forgiveness for sin. Sacrifice meant death. But in Romans 12:1, the Apostle Paul called on believers to be “living sacrifices.” How does a believer live,…
Looking for common ground in what it means to sacrifice for greater good — in theory and practice
Christians tend to agree the Bible commands sacrifice for the greater good, but they differ about what that means. In a July 18 letter to elected federal officials, 5,000 Christian leaders asked Congress to work to protect the most vulnerable…
CBFNC spreading gospel of farming
By Jeff Brumley Cooperative Baptists in North Carolina are forging a network of church and other faith-based garden and farming ministries in hopes of inspiring more congregations to grow food for those in need. The effort’s center of gravity is…
CBF eliminates coordinator position
By Bob Allen The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has retired one of its top leadership positions in a new structure aligned with priorities identified by the 2012 Task Force. Connie McNeill, coordinator for administration at the Atlanta-based Fellowship since March 2005,…
CBF eliminates coordinator position
By Bob Allen The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has retired one of its top leadership positions in a new structure aligned with priorities identified by the 2012 Task Force. Connie McNeill, coordinator for administration at the Atlanta-based Fellowship since March 2005,…