Social media was abuzz this week with reaction to Southern Baptist Convention leader Al Mohler appearing on a podcast with Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. The mere fact of them being in conversation is the most notable thing, because what they...
It was 1989 and I had taken a class called Just Peacemaking taught by Glenn H. Stassen. For those of you not familiar with Stassen, he was a nuclear physicist turned theologian turned ethics professor at the Southern Baptist Theological…
Love him or hate him, James MacDonald is one thing for sure: A larger-than-life symbol of the stress and perils of leading a gigachurch — a role he now believes is impossible. Among evangelical pastors, MacDonald is both revered and…
Last Friday, the leading Republican candidates for president (sans Trump) showed up in Des Moines, Iowa, to campaign among approximately 2,000 overwhelmingly white evangelicals. The forum was sponsored by an evangelical organization called the Family Leader, an organization with a mission…
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Tyler Armstrong, to Woodward Avenue Baptist Church, Muscle Shoals, Ala., as senior pastor. He comes from Plymouth Park…
If you want to understand the absurdity of evangelical complementarian young earth reality denial, look at this one tweet from James White July 17 and the dozens of comments it elicited. White, a Calvinist apologist and pastor from Arizona, is…
On Sunday, July 16, at First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue, in Winston-Salem, N.C., Deacon Dr. Judge Kornegay, following the standard liturgy, led the morning prayer. He began by asking God’s blessing on the sick and the bereaved. His gentle yet…
Americans are moving increasingly to the right politically and economically, a trend that has gained significant momentum in 2023, according to new research by Gallup. “The shift is mostly due to increasing social conservatism among Republicans, at a time when…
If you’ve ever been the recipient of a grace — an undeserved second chance, an unexpected kind word, an unanticipated new beginning — you know the joy and sense of release these experiences bring. Experiencing a true grace restores, empowers…
The Baptist General Convention of Texas — once considered a supporter of women in ministry — declined to give full blessing to the idea when presented the opportunity at its annual meeting July 18. Motions affirming women in ministry and…
The Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church didn’t want the typical chronicle or hagiography when it asked historian Andrew Gardner to write its congregational history. “And we didn’t want a coffee table book of nice pictures,” said Senior Minister Marcus…
On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down affirmative action admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The majority opinion for both decisions was written by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr….
I am more confident in my call to pastoral ministry because I know historic Baptist theology. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the common anointing for ministry are basic to Baptist thought…
