In yet another sign of how church networks are replacing denominational identity, the Acts 29 network announced Jan. 11 that it will provide up to $50,000 apiece for new churches started through its sponsorship. Leaders of Acts 29 insist it…
McRaney case against NAMB must proceed for now, U.S. district court rules
For those who are keeping score at home, the stats are now Will McRaney 4 and North American Mission Board 1. But this legal game is far from over. In the latest twist to the curious case of McRaney’s lawsuit…
SBC says church planters must pledge not to hire women as pastors just like they pledge not to drink alcohol
Faced with pressure from its rightward flank, the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board issued a statement Oct. 14 promising that “only qualified men” will “serve as the communicator for teaching and preaching” at church plants endorsed by NAMB….
Supreme Court rejects NAMB’s request, sending McRaney case back to trial
The United States Supreme Court has denied a request by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board to end a case brought against it by the former leader of a Baptist state convention. Among a long list of cases…
Three dozen others join NAMB in asking Supreme Court not to allow McRaney case on religious liberty grounds
The case of a Baptist state convention leader fired because of what he considers undue influence by a national Southern Baptist Convention agency is drawing intense national interest — but not for the underlying merits of the case itself. More…
From Massachusetts to Missouri, faith-based schools seek to shield governance under religious exemptions
The highest court in Massachusetts ruled this month that a social work professor at a nondenominational Christian college is not a “minister,” meaning she may proceed with a discrimination suit against the college. Meanwhile, a Baptist university in Missouri claims…
SBC agency’s appeal to Supreme Court touches on religious liberty, defamation and Baptist autonomy
A federal lawsuit that combines questions of religious liberty, defamation and the meaning of Baptist autonomy has been appealed to the United States Supreme Court. The Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, the defendant in the original 2017 case,…
NAMB lawsuit tests when courts can – and cannot – resolve disputes in religious bodies
A common law doctrine long used to determine when disputes within a religious entity require intervention by civil courts took center stage in oral arguments Feb. 6 in the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
Former state exec says arguments by NAMB attorneys increase SBC’s risk of liability for sexual abuse
For decades the SBC has avoided liability in criminal and civil actions involving churches or affiliated organizations by claiming they are all autonomous, self-governing organizations. But former Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware Executive Director Will McRaney claims in a new court document that lawyers representing NAMB turn that argument on its head.