By Bob Allen A 150-year-old church in downtown Washington, D.C., voted July 25 to disassociate from the Southern Baptist Convention. The vote by Calvary Baptist Church followed a letter last February sent to the SBC president at the time, Bryant…
Race and intentionality, then and now
By Bill Leonard In his recent book Moses, Jesus and the Trickster in the Evangelical South, University of Colorado history professor Paul Harvey describes the South “as a land of paradox and contradiction.” “How else, for example, can one grasp…
Church expelled after affirming gays
By Bob Allen An American Baptist church in Ohio has been excommunicated from its association and state region after going on record as welcoming and affirming gays. Tommy Faris, pastor of University Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, said the church…
Women protest army rapes in Burma
By Bob Allen Leaders of a ministry for women and girls in American Baptist churches called on the United States to insist on human-rights reforms – including ending the use of rape as a weapon of war – before moving…
Burmese Baptists struggle to adapt to life in United States
By Jeff Brumley Most pastors will attest the ministry isn’t anything close to a 40-hour work week. On top of sermon preparation, preaching, hospital visits and counseling, the leader of one congregation of Myanmar refugees in Jacksonville, Fla., has an…
Baptist church applauds marriage equality law
By Bob Allen A Seattle Baptist church known for a long history of social activism voted March 4 to affirm Washington State’s new law legalizing gay marriage. “Our church does not want to stay silent as other religious communities voice…
Burma refugee liaison is new BWAid director
By Robert Dilday An advocate for Burmese refugees has been named director of Baptist World Aid, an agency which works closely with Baptist disaster-relief organizations in Virginia and North Carolina. No caption submitted Rothangliani Rema Chhangte will assume her new…
Woman to lead American Baptists in Indiana, Kentucky
Soozi Whitten Ford By Bob Allen Soozi Whitten Ford, an ordained minister and longtime American Baptist leader, has been named executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky. Her election, announced Jan. 23, ends a year-long search…