A story is told in my family about my grandfather, a lover of old time gospel music and, in an era before paid music ministers, the song leader at his rural North Carolina Baptist church. Music was such an important…
OPINION: A pope by any other name
March 13, 2013 — a day for the history books. Anytime a pope is elected it’s historic, but this is history of histories. We have a Latin American pope. And where was I when I found out the announcement? Sucking…
OPINION: Struggling with prayers at governmental meetings
A few weeks ago, I read with great interest Robert Dilday’s article in the Religious Herald regarding prayer at official government meetings in Rowan County, N.C. By happenstance, the very next week I was to give the invocation before the…
Disagreement over same-sex marriage won’t divide D.C. Baptist churches, say leaders
WASHINGTON — Leaders of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention said in a statement March 27 that while the convention’s “diverse body of believers” holds strong opinions on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate, its churches remain focused on…
Jesus faces mock trial in Texas
By Jeff Brumley Mark Osler will leave First Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, Thursday evening spiritually drained. Seeking the death penalty for Jesus Christ, he said, always does that to him. “It is very dark,” said Osler, a former federal…
Prof expects kinder, gentler ERLC
By Bob Allen A Baptist communications professor who has written a book about religious language in politics predicts that Southern Baptists’ new spokesman for public affairs will be less strident and politically partisan than his predecessor. Russell Moore’s selection as…
Baptists promote disaster preparedness
By Bob Allen An Australian Baptist organization long committed to disaster relief and recovery is shifting focus to prepare communities for the impact of disasters before they happen. Baptist World Aid Australia announced a “Disaster Plus” campaign March 25 to…
Flying Queens ruled women’s hoops
By Bob Allen With most eyes in women’s college basketball trained on Baylor’s 6-8 shot-blocking, slam-dunking phenom Brittney Griner, the current Texas Monthly carries a feature about a lesser-known Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated powerhouse that is the winningest women’s…
Russell Moore new ERLC leader
By Bob Allen The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has named seminary professor and administrator Russell Moore as president. He succeeds Richard Land, who retires after 25 years as the Southern Baptist Convention’s chief spokesman on public policy and religious-liberty…
Baptists from Mid-Atlantic rally in support of gay marriage as Supreme Court begins landmark case
WASHINGTON — As the Supreme Court launched two days of oral arguments March 26 on a landmark same-sex marriage case, ministers and members of some Baptist churches in the Mid-Atlantic rallied with other faith groups at an early morning interfaith…
Baptists from Mid-Atlantic rally in support of gay marriage as Supreme Court begins landmark case
WASHINGTON — As the Supreme Court launched two days of oral arguments March 26 on a landmark same-sex marriage case, ministers and members of some Baptist churches in the Mid-Atlantic rallied with other faith groups at an early morning interfaith…
Baptists from Mid-Atlantic rally in support of gay marriage as Supreme Court begins landmark case
WASHINGTON — As the Supreme Court launched two days of oral arguments March 26 on a landmark same-sex marriage case, ministers and members of some Baptist churches in the Mid-Atlantic rallied with other faith groups at an early morning interfaith…