By Bob Allen As House Republicans gather Wednesday in private to discuss their next steps on the comprehensive Senate immigration bill, the top leader of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion at an immigration…
SBC leader on sidelines in GOP race
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists’ new spokesman for moral and religious-liberty concerns offered a corrective for Christian involvement in politics in a wide-ranging, 45-minute interview July 8 on C-SPAN. “I think there was a day when evangelical Christians in America…
Church in foreclosure? Make a plan
By Jeff Brumley A Missionary Baptist pastor in Anniston, Ala., learned recently that his church faces foreclosure and its building may be auctioned to the highest bidder by the end of the month. The Anniston Star reported Friday that Pastor…
BWA calls for ending Cuba embargo
By Bob Allen Baptist leaders from around the world called on the United States to lift its half-century-old economic embargo on Cuba in a resolution adopted during the Baptist World Alliance annual gathering July 1-6 in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The…
Christian views on violence vary
By Ken Camp Debates about gun violence stir strong emotions, and Christians hold varied views on the meaning of the Bible’s mandate to “seek peace and pursue it” in Psalms. Some call for increased gun control, while others feel a…
Mahaney withdraws from T4G conference
By Bob Allen An evangelical preacher plagued by scandal over an alleged cover up of child sex abuse has withdrawn from a biennial Bible conference next year that he previously led in partnership with high-profile Calvinist leaders in the Southern…
Preaching on violence peacefully
By Ken Camp How can pastors preach on subjects like gun violence without disturbing the peace in their own congregations? “Pastors always tread the tightrope of a prophetic role and that of pastoral care,” said Terry Rosell, ethicist and professor…
Man-made disaster plan still a dream
By Jeff Brumley Organizers of a CBF-sponsored conference held in April to help ministers and counselors emotionally impacted by the Sandy Hook massacre say they’re prepared to replicate the program if needed. However, they add that it’s yet to become…
Glorieta residents get lease options
By Ken Camp Some Baptists who lease property at Glorieta Conference Center recently received notice from the new owners — Glorieta 2.0 — they have until mid-August to make major decisions about houses built on that land. In mid-June, LifeWay…
Glorieta residents get lease options
Rest elusive for disaster workers
By Jeff Brumley Barbecues, trips to the mountains, visits to the beach or just relaxing in the backyard are options for many pastors during the summer. But not those who find themselves and their congregations at ground zero of recent…
Catholics, Baptists join in HHS protest
By Bob Allen The Obama administration unwittingly created an unlikely coalition opposed to a rule requiring employers to provide free insurance coverage of contraceptives for women, the Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for moral concerns said at a July 2…