I remember when the Columbine High School shootings happened in 1999. Schools across the country went into lockdown. Most of us were left mouths open watching news reports, trying to process and understand what happened and why. Schools and other…
Baptist leader urges better police training about how to interact with mentally ill
By Bob Allen Better police training about how to interact with people with mental health conditions and developmental disabilities can prevent needless tragedy, an American Baptist official told a Senate panel April 29. “Recent high-profile tragedies demonstrate the need for…
Pastor seeks to rally black Baptists against ‘stand your ground’ laws
By Bob Allen A Florida pastor running for president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., is spearheading a national effort to mobilize the African-American faith community against “stand your ground” laws permitting the use of deadly force in self-defense….
Millennials at hand
By Bill Leonard The Millennials are at hand! Millennials — that’s what sociologists call the generation of 18- to 33-year-olds now coming of age in America. A new study from the Pew Research Center details the nature of their unique…
Church gun giveaways send wrong message
A local church in Troy, NY is promoting a gun giveaway and its not the first church to do so. Churches in Texas and Kentucky have offered gun giveaways. The practice of a church gun giveaway sends the wrong message. Is it wrong…
New York church giving away assault rifle
By Bob Allen An independent Baptist pastor in upstate New York is offering a drawing for an AR-15 assault rifle on March 23, one-upping the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s controversial “Second Amendment Celebrations,” which give away shotguns and rifles to lure…
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…
Ethicist says gun giveaway shifts focus of church event from hunting to politics
By Bob Allen A moderate Baptist ethicist faulted Kentucky Baptists’ method of giving away guns to lure unchurched men to outreach events for politicizing wild game feasts that have been popular in rural America for decades. “There is no conflict…
Baptists target gun enthusiasts for outreach
By Bob Allen A new Kentucky Baptist Convention initiative to lure unchurched men to worship gained national attention after the Louisville Courier-Journal featured an upcoming gun giveaway at a Paducah church located 10 miles from the site of a 1997…