Robert Jeffress testified before the president’s Religious Liberty Commission this week how he and his downtown Dallas church have been persecuted, while failing to acknowledge his own persecution of other religious groups. The pastor of First Baptist Dallas publicized in…
Hobby Lobby founder gives $7 million to rebuild First Baptist Dallas
The founder of Hobby Lobby has donated $7 million to First Baptist Church of Dallas to help rebuild the 1890 sanctuary destroyed by fire last year. Pastor Robert Jeffress announced the gift during Sunday morning worship Dec. 8. The Hobby…
MAGA coalesces around evangelical support for Israel in bombing Iran
Robert Jeffress not only supports President Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran, but his publicist sent out a news release to make sure everyone understands he does. In last Sunday morning’s sermon — delivered hours after Trump ordered massive bombs dropped…
Remembering Jack Pogue, faithful friend to W.A. Criswell
Tuesday evening, March 18, we received word from a mutual friend that Jack Pogue, the faithful Baptist layman, Dallas-area real estate developer and quiet denominational benefactor, had passed at age 90. At the time of his death, untold scores of millions…
Investigation into cause of Dallas church fire delayed
It has been three months since a four-alarm fire destroyed the historic sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Dallas, and fire officials have yet to declare a cause for the blaze. According to the church’s ongoing updates to members, the…
No cause of fire yet determined at First Baptist Dallas
Six weeks after one of the best-known Southern Baptist sanctuaries in America burned in a four-alarm fire, no cause of the blaze has been determined, according to officials at First Baptist Church of Dallas. Executive Pastor Ben Lovvorn has been…
First Baptist Dallas gets permission to try to save exterior walls of burned sanctuary
First Baptist Church of Dallas has received permission from the City of Dallas to try to preserve the exterior walls of its late 19th-century sanctuary after a four-alarm fire last week. Those red-brick walls appear to be all that remains…
If only First Baptist Dallas could rebuild with more love and less hate
The past week has been a roller coaster of emotions. Every time I’ve refreshed a news app or checked my social media feed, something shocking and groundbreaking has occurred. In a world where the words “breaking news” have felt cliché,…
Progression or regression: Racism and women
He was tall, dark and handsome. As his ebony skin glistened in the sunlight, he looked like a Nigerian king. John Lawale was introduced to Jesus by the preaching of Josephine Scaggs, a Southern Baptist missionary from Sapulpa, Okla. She…
One name that muddles the debate over women in ministry in the SBC
Debate over the role of women in ministry in Southern Baptist life has resurrected the dead. One of the names most often tossed about this spring and summer as the SBC moved toward expelling churches that allow women to preach…
First Baptist Dallas congregation cheers Trump, breaks out into ‘USA!’ chant after he speaks
Donald Trump’s Christmas message to Christians turned out to be more bah-humbug than joy to the world. The former president was invited to speak at First Baptist Church of Dallas on Sunday, Dec. 19, by the church’s pastor, Robert Jeffress….
Ungodly? That all depends on what God you serve
Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, has long been an ardent public supporter of Donald Trump. He recently preached that the Biden administration was “the ungodliest administration in the history of our country,” a continuation of ongoing…