The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors has removed Bill Shannon, women’s pastor and counseling pastor at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church, from their approved counselors list due to credible allegations of protecting abusers and harming women. The accusations were cosigned in…
Members of Florida church required to sign ‘biblical sexuality’ statement or be removed from membership
Members of a Jacksonville, Fla., Baptist church have until March 19 to sign a statement on “biblical sexuality” or be removed from membership. All members of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville are required to sign a form that indicates their…
Southern Baptist megachurch to downsize its campus by 90 percent
First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, once one of America’s most influential megachurches, determined Sept. 8 to downsize its downtown property footprint by 90 percent in a cost-cutting move the senior pastor described as necessary for the church’s long-term survival.
Southern Baptist author removes foreword by Joshua Harris from his book
A Southern Baptist pastor and former seminary professor asked a Christian publisher to remove a foreword written by Joshua Harris from future printings of a book published in 2013, after the well-known advocate of the evangelical purity culture announced he has fallen away from the Christian faith.
Abuse controversy prompts counseling group to move meeting from seminary campus
The Association of Biblical Counselors has moved an October conference about using the Bible to counsel abuse victims from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to another location in light of controversial statements by the seminary’s erstwhile president. Heath Lambert, outgoing executive…
Florida megachurch undergoing leadership change
In a surprise announcement, Mac Brunson said April 20 he is stepping down after 12 years as senior pastor of the 10,000-member First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. Brunson, 60, said in a statement posted on Facebook that he and…
Critics say seminary professor’s departure reveals faculty rift between faith and science
Supporters of a Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor quietly stepping down after 17 years in the classroom are blaming his departure on a faculty colleague who harshly criticized his scholarship in a public setting a year and a half ago….
Prof says ex-gay therapy inadequate to help homosexuals change
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist seminary professor says “reparative therapy” is wrong not because it assumes that gay people can change but because it views homosexuality as a psychological problem instead of a sin. Heath Lambert, executive director of…
Conference affirms sufficiency of Scripture for counseling
By Bob Allen Many Christians who affirm the inerrancy and authority of the Bible don’t think it is sufficient to handle problems in their life, according to speakers at a recent conference on biblical counseling at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary…