Baylor University’s Truett Seminary has added a second faculty member aligned with the new Global Methodist Church, the conservative breakaway from the United Methodist Church. The appointment of Scott Jones as affiliate professor and pastor-theologian in residence at Truett’s Wesley…
BGCT will not change its relationship with Baylor
Despite indications to the contrary six months ago, the Baptist General Convention of Texas will not change its relationship with Baylor University. Last August, Baptist News Global reported the BGCT would “review and consider changes” to its 1990 agreement with…
In the SBC, a cord of three is not easily broken: Debates about sexuality, gender and abuse all twist together
There’s only one thing Southern Baptist Convention conservatives get more upset about than women serving as pastors: The slightest affirmation of LGBTQ persons. This truth was borne out in the SBC over the last week as leaders sought to put…
Jacksonville church isn’t the only SBC congregation requiring members to affirm statements on sexuality
When First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Fla., announced all members would have to sign a statement on “biblical sexuality” or be kicked out, the idea sounded novel to most Baptists. Baptists in America are not accustomed to being required to…
The Church of England’s compromise on same-sex relationships is disastrous for everyone
The Church of England’s formal separation from Rome five centuries ago began over a dispute about marriage. Now, it appears it will soon end as we know it over a dispute about marriage. Despite a busy news week that included…
The gospel of fear as told by Al Mohler and Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Al Mohler wants us to believe there was devil worship at the Grammys last Sunday. Two days later, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders painted a dark and dismal picture of an American democracy being destroyed by Democrats who sound suspiciously…
Spurred on by conservatives’ fears, Tennessee turns down federal funds to fight HIV/AIDS
June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, but beginning June 1, testing and treating HIV/AIDS in Tennessee will become more challenging for residents. Gov. Bill Lee has rejected a multi-million-dollar federal grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, a…
“What’s the one book I should read on anti-racism?’
I gave a talk for the Alliance of Baptists’ educational emphasis on anti-racism not long ago. Someone in the audience asked me to choose the one book I thought they should read. Immediately, I said, “Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider.” When…
Biblical orthodoxy 2023: Sign or get ‘churched’
In Giving Glory to God in Appalachia: Worship Practices of Six Baptist Subdenominations, the late Appalachian State University professor Howard Dargan observed: One ceases to be a member of a local Primitive (Baptist) church by being dismissed by letter to…
What did Pope Francis say, and what did he mean, in AP interview on homosexuality?
What did Pope Francis actually say about homosexuality last week? And what did he mean by what he said? On the surface, the pontiff condemned laws that criminalize homosexuality, urging Catholic bishops who support these laws to be more welcoming…
Colorado cake maker back in court, this time for refusing service to a transgender woman
Jack Phillips went all the way to the United States Supreme Court to avoid making a cake for a same-sex wedding, and now he’s in court once again wanting to avoid decorating a cake for a gender transition celebration. Phillips,…
Of Margie, mountains and ‘El Shaddai’
I learned a lot of things in seminary, like how to perform baptisms and administer Communion, why understanding cultural context is important when reading and interpreting Scripture, and the importance of sneaking Amy Grant lyrics into almost any theological conversation….