Despite a lack of religious diversity among the speakers at the Trump administration’s “Rededicate 250” event held last Sunday on the National Mall, conservative Baptists played a prominent role. The speaker lineup for the nine-hour religious festival included two Catholics…
Why it matters that this pastor says he wants other women
Fresh on the heels of countless pastors responding to the Philip Yancey 8-year affair with “it could have been any of us,” SBC Texas megachurch pastor Jonathan Pokluda asked rhetorically on an Instagram story “Why do I have a desire…
Rick Warren’s letter to the SBC was BNG’s most-read opinion piece in 2023
Rick Warren’s personal appeal to Southern Baptists about his battle with the Southern Baptist Convention over church autonomy and women in ministry were the most-read Baptist News Global opinion pieces in 2023. The issue of patriarchy and women’s roles in…
Pokluda apologizes for ‘hurting’ women with sermon illustration
A Texas pastor who was roundly criticized for objectifying women in a sermon has apologized for hurting women with his sermon illustration. Jonathan Pokluda, pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in McGregor, southwest of Waco, gave the apology at the…
Can pastors please stop salivating over women’s bodies in sermons? A response to Jonathan Pokluda’s objectification of the ‘perfect’ woman
Megachurch Pastor Jonathan Pokluda made a splash on Twitter when a three-minute clip of his Jan. 22 sermon went viral. He narrated how, early in his marriage, he ventured to a restaurant with a friend for chips and queso when…
At Baylor University, the debate about LGBTQ students also is shaped by a network of churches embracing conversion therapy
While Baylor University has been in the news for its on-campus treatment of LGBTQ students, there’s another side to the story happening off campus that involves the controversial practice of conversion therapy. Sexual orientation change efforts, or conversion therapy, are…