A couple weeks ago, the Georgia Baptist Convention held “its first-ever sexual abuse summit ” at First Baptist Church in Atlanta. So far so good, right? After all, it wasn’t so long ago that Southern Baptist officials were denying there…
Christian Index board disbands
By Bob Allen The board of the nation’s oldest continuously published religious newspaper has disbanded, and the 193-year-old Christian Index will come under the umbrella of the Georgia Baptist Convention, as part of a massive restructuring of the 3,600-church affiliate…
Georgia Baptists divided over religious liberty bill
By Bob Allen A Baptist newspaper editor compared perceived discrimination against Christians in the 21st century to the 1960s struggle for civil rights in comments at a Georgia statehouse rally Jan. 28 quoted by local media. Gerald Harris, editor of…
Clergy divided on Georgia religious liberty bill
By Bob Allen The top spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Georgia affiliate called on the state’s General Assembly to pass a new bill bolstering religious freedom at a Jan. 13 rally claiming Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired for…
Mohler says fire chief’s firing a win for ‘erotic liberty’
By Bob Allen The firing of Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran highlights “the religious-liberty implications of the normalization of homosexuality and the legalization of same-sex marriage,” Southern Baptist Theological President Albert Mohler said in a podcast briefing Jan. 9. Mohler…
Georgia Baptists stand by fired Atlanta fire chief
By Bob Allen In a press release Jan. 7, the 1.3 million-member Georgia Baptist Convention protested the recent firing of Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran for writing a religious book deemed intolerant toward gays. Earlier, the 3,600-church state affiliate of…
Georgia Baptists support fire chief suspended over homosexuality
By Bob Allen Leaders of the Georgia Baptist Convention launched an online petition demanding reinstatement of a fire chief suspended for writing a religious book critical of homosexuality. Last month Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced a 30-day suspension of Atlanta…
Georgia Baptists join ‘personhood’ campaign
By Bob Allen Georgia Baptists have joined an effort to switch the abortion debate from a woman’s right to choose to the “personhood” of the unborn fetus from the moment of conception. The Georgia Baptist Convention passed a resolution at…
Pastor: Not all Baptists OK with guns in church
By Bob Allen Twenty-five Georgia Baptists including staff members of the Decatur-based Cooperative Baptist Fellowship joined a pastor in disputing claims that a Georgia Baptist Convention official spoke for Georgia Baptists when he testified in support of legislation to allow…
Georgia Baptists support guns in church
By Bob Allen Georgia Baptists’ new lobbyist made headlines his second week on the job, testifying in the state’s General Assembly in support of legislation that would allow guns in churches. “Really, it’s a sanctity of human life issue as…
Chick-fil-A’s Cathy honors commitment to give
ATLANTA (BP)—When Truett Cathy, founder of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, was named the winner of the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership, it recognized not just a year of extraordinary charitable giving but a lifestyle devoted to giving. Cathy,…