Those of us in the Mainline Protestant traditions who still find community in church settings often feel an allegiance to whichever denomination we were raised in. In my case, I was baptized and confirmed in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and…
More moderate and progressive chaplains needed for U.S. military, one chaplain urges
The ranks of U.S. military chaplains do not reflect the diversity of race, religion, gender and sexual orientation of the service members they serve, National Guard chaplain Megan Joyner said during an online workshop hosted by the Alliance of Baptists….
Call to prayer issued for minority religions in Republic of Georgia
American Baptist leaders in Wisconsin have launched a prayer and social action campaign to support beleaguered faith, humanitarian and LGBTQ groups in the Republic of Georgia. The effort follows the May passage of a law requiring Georgian organizations that receive…
On the SBC, Alliance and CBF and lost causes
The histories we tell ourselves about our churches and denominations are important. They shape organizational identities and give greater meaning to the work churches and denominations conduct in the wider world. When those histories become deeply engrained, they can morph…
Baptist congregation in Tbilisi dedicates space for Jewish synagogue
Dedication of a synagogue within the confines of a Baptist church in the Republic of Georgia exemplifies the peacemaking potential of interfaith dialogue and relationships, said Paul Hayes, a retired Baptist pastor and former Alliance of Baptists board member. Hayes…
Unlike American evangelicals, religious bodies from Quakers to Catholics urge care for Palestinians and Jews alike
As Southern Baptists and other evangelicals rally support for Israel in its retaliatory war with Hamas, they are outliers compared to most other Christian groups in America — from Quakers to Catholics. Other denominations and religious leaders have expressed more…
Experiences of female clergy are often overlooked in accounts of the SBC schism, professor says
A gender struggle was central to the Southern Baptist Convention schism, but interpreters of the controversy largely have failed to deal with this reality, a Baptist professor said during a lecture in Louisville, Ky. “They treated women as an issue…
Thomas Graves, founding president of BTSR
Thomas Henry Graves, founding president of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, died Aug. 17 at age 75. Trained as a Southern Baptist pastor, he became a leader in the so-called “moderate” movement that broke away to create the Alliance of…
Embracing a queer spirituality would have freed me from years of anguish, self-doubt and self-loathing
I was a junior in college, studying religion and serving as a youth minister when I first encountered the Southern Baptist Convention’s vitriol against women. Although a Southern Baptist church employed me, a not-yet-out queer woman, as a youth minister…