By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist pastor was sentenced to five years in prison Feb. 28 after a jury in Texarkana, Ark., found him guilty of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old girl inside his church last April. South Texarkana Baptist Church…
Candidate: Faith, politics mix in public arena
By Vicki Brown A Baptist preacher’s wife running for lieutenant governor in Missouri says that while voters should consider a candidate’s moral character and values, faith should not be used for political ends. Judy Baker, who has a master’s degree…
Candidate says faith, politics mix in public arena
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Judy Baker could push her faith as a cornerstone as a candidate for public office. After all, in addition to earning a master's degree in healthcare administration at the University of Missouri, she also holds a master of…
Santorum gets prayer at Baptist church
By Bob Allen A Catholic presidential candidate received a prayer of blessing from a Southern Baptist mega-church during a campaign visit to Memphis. Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., invited GOP hopeful Rick Santorum to the…
Baptist association asks church with sex-offender preacher to leave
By Bob Allen A Florida Baptist church that recently opened its pulpit to a registered sex offender has been asked to withdraw from its local association of Southern Baptist churches. Jacksonville Baptist Association leaders said March 2 that conversations with…
EDITORIAL: Politics as usual?
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Larry Leader’s favorite sin
Larry’s driving his truck to his company’s work site for the day, mentally reviewing his to-do list. Then, from the radio tuned to Country K93, Kenny Chesney’s voice preaches the gospel to Larry: “It’s always your favorite sins that do…
OUT LOUD
“I often find myself thinking, I wish a good number of my congregation were as devoted to daily spiritual growth as this man is.” Joel Hunter The Florida pastor Joel Hunter, who serves as a spiritual adviser to President Obama,…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Are you sure you want to grow?
If deacons were surveyed, they would almost universally say they want people to join their churches. After all, reaching new people is one of our basic tenants as Baptists. We give much effort and even more lipservice to reaching new…
Are religious litmus tests for public office appropriate?
While the U.S. Constitution specifically spells out that no religious litmus test should be used to determine who holds office, Christians still grapple with if and how their faith should inform their choice in candidates. And they often use the…
VITAL SIGNS: Prime time
One thing that is predictable about pastor search committees is that they all want something similar: a great preacher, an amazing administrator who loves visiting, someone who is effective with young families and senior adults, a 38 year old with…
Making choices in a fallen world is essential
Passion and conviction often direct a Christian in choosing public servants. Economic concerns, social justice issues, foreign policy or a host of other issues can be of primary concern. But suppose Candidate A’s approach on one issue matches but his…