By Bob Allen Arkansas Baptist College honored the memory of a student murdered last year by dedicating a new research center March 1 bearing his name to address the problem of black-on-black violence in America’s cities. The new Derek Olivier…
Sex offender loses pharmacy license
By Bob Allen The Mississippi Board of Pharmacy recently revoked the license of a convicted child molester who had worked at a drug store in Clinton, Miss., since resigning as music minister at a prominent Southern Baptist Church in 2011….
Slain pastor lawsuit headed for trial
By Bob Allen A former Georgia police officer must stand trial to defend himself against misconduct alleged in a lawsuit stemming from the fatal shooting of a Southern Baptist minister in a botched drug-sting investigation in 2009, the 11th U.S….
Super Bowl big day for traffickers
By Daniel Wallace While Baltimore and San Francisco fought it out on the gridiron Sunday in New Orleans, law enforcement and ministries across the city were waging a battle against the modern version of the slave trade: human trafficking. Authorities…
Church security after Sandy Hook
By Jeff Brumley The Sandy Hook school massacre terrified parents nationwide and sparked a debate on gun control and school security. But it’s also led to some soul searching on church staffs worried about how to best protect worshipers and…
American Baptists take on gun violence
By Bob Allen Directors of American Baptist Home Mission Societies unanimously adopted a statement Jan. 23 recommending 10 measures aimed at combating gun violence in the United States. The measures, approved during a two-day retreat in Atlanta, include a ban…
No prison for molester termed unfair
By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist music minister who will serve no time in prison after admitting to molesting children nearly 30 years ago demonstrates that America’s justice system isn’t always fair, a newspaper in Jackson, Miss., editorialized Jan….
Former minister pleads guilty to abuse
By Bob Allen John Langworthy, 50, former associate pastor of music and ministries at Morrison Heights Baptist Church in Clinton, Miss., pleaded guilty in Hinds County Circuit Court to five of eight felony counts of gratification of lust against young…
Faith leaders call for tighter gun control
By Bob Allen Forty-seven faith leaders representing 80 million Americans joined Jan. 15 in a letter calling on members of Congress to take immediate action to prevent gun violence in the United States. The letter — made public a month…
Sunday school worker charged with abuse
By Bob Allen Christopher Ryan Crossno, 22, a former Sunday school teacher at Spring Creek Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tenn., was indicted by the January 2013 Montgomery County Grand Jury on one count of aggravated sexual battery. A press release…
Former minister guilty of abuse
By Bob Allen Brandon James Carter, 34, accepted a plea bargain Jan. 9 that sentenced him to less than two years in prison for molesting a 13-year-old girl. He was arrested last March, while serving as youth and music minister…
Youth pastor charged with sex crimes
By Bob Allen The youth pastor of a Tennessee Baptist church was arrested Jan. 3 on charges of statutory rape and sexual battery by an authority figure. Joseph Todd Neill, 36, youth director at North Fork Baptist Church in Shelbyville,…