An effort in the 1980s to investigate and resolve conflict in the Southern Baptist Convention was an initial failure that in the long run helped establish the nation’s largest Protestant body as the conservative evangelical denomination it is known as…
Annie Armstrong’s home church at risk of foreclosure
The Southern Baptist church where Annie Armstrong was baptized is at risk of being evicted, according to an investigative story by the Baltimore Sun. Seventh Metro Church in Baltimore, formerly known as Seventh Baptist Church, wound up in tax auction…
At 25, CBF still building something new
At 25, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship recalls its birth in a passionate commitment to freedom. All stories must start somewhere. Baptist stories are no different — from the self-baptism of John Smyth in 1609 to Roger Williams planting the first…
Baptist founder still speaking after 400 years, says European leader
The message of Thomas Helwys — a founder of the Baptist denomination and one of the first Englishmen to state explicitly that people of any religion should be free to exercise their faith without government interference — is as relevant today…
Watch night history
“Watch Night” services began in 1733 with the Moravian communities in what is now the Czech Republic. By 1740 John Wesley and his Methodist movement within Anglicanism had adopted the tradition, with New Year’s Eve services ending after midnight, marked…
On religious liberty: an open letter to Franklin Graham
Dear Mr Graham, This week someone who has put himself forward as a candidate for the presidency of your great nation made a number of hate-filled and inaccurate comments about Muslims, and proposed some extreme policies on the back of…
An open letter to Carson-Newman University
By Travis Cooper and Jared Champion Dear President O’Brien, We write to you regarding Carson-Newman University’s decision to seek and accept a waiver to the provisions of Title IX. In a moment when division and hate abound, we were heartbroken…
Seminaries, spiritual formation and personal story
By Ron Crawford I am indebted to the thoughtful response of Scott Hudgins to my response to Brett Younger’s original article about seminary education. I will not review these two fine offerings but will extend the conversation. A key point…
The contested BGAV presidency
Note: I don’t normally write things on this blog that are so narrowly focused (Virginia Baptist life to be exact), but this is incredibly important to me, and it is a prime example of how rural churches and female pastors…