By Bob Allen Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College has chosen an official from another Baptist school in South Carolina as president. Trustees of the Louisiana Baptist Convention-related college unanimously elected Rick Brewer, vice president of student affairs and athletics at Charleston Southern…
Surging water ministries about more than digging wells, mission leaders say
By Jeff Brumley and Ken Camp Water poverty has become an increasingly popular missions focus for U.S.-based churches, ministries and denominational groups in recent years. “It’s a hot-button issue right now,” said Colleen Burroughs, executive vice president for Passport Inc.,…
Texas Baptist Women in Ministry group organized
By Ken Camp With the formation of Texas Baptist Women in Ministry, Texas joins nine other states in creating an organization to encourage women who serve in Baptist churches and advocate for expanded ministry opportunities for women. More than two…
Liberia seminary reopens post-Ebola
By Bob Allen The Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the country’s leading schools, reopened March 2 after six months of closure prompted by the Ebola crisis in West Africa. Richard Wilson, a Mercer University professor named in 2013 as…
Baptists in Kentucky support cap on payday loans
By Bob Allen Members of the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship rallied Tuesday, Feb. 24, at the state capitol in Frankfort, after a Monday afternoon seminar on the “debt trap” created by payday lending. Speakers at a press conference in the capitol…
BJC defends Muslim woman’s right to wear hijab to work
By Bob Allen In a closely watched case argued Feb. 25, a Baptist religious-liberty group urged the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a Muslim woman to wear a religious head-covering to work. The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, a Washington-based…
Baptist board in Texas declares gender assignment ‘immutable’
By Ken Camp Biology, not psychology, determines gender identity, according to the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board. At its Feb. 23-24 meeting in Dallas, the board approved without any dissenting votes a resolution on transgender issues, declaring the…
Baptist college reinstates fired VP
By Bob Allen A Brewton-Parker College vice president fired Feb. 2 after refusing to sign a non-disclosure agreement about Ergun Caner’s Jan. 20 resignation has been reinstated. Iowa pastor Dave Miller, editor of SBC Voices, a group blog devoted to…
LifeWay trustees authorize sale of headquarters
By Bob Allen Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources have authorized the administration to sell all or part of the Southern Baptist Convention publisher’s campus in Nashville, Tenn., for what a broker determines to be a fair market value, according to…
Seminary course seeks ‘nexus’ between clergy and police
By Jeff Brumley A Virginia seminary has launched a new course exploring the relationship between law enforcement and clergy in hopes of finding ways to sustain the wellness of officers and protecting communities. Those in law enforcement say it’s a…
Woes persist at Georgia Baptist college
By Bob Allen The week after Brewton-Parker College President Ergun Caner resigned citing the emotional and physical toll of his son’s recent suicide, a vice president said he was fired after refusing to resign. C.B. Scott, vice president of alumni…
Openness to Cuba is nothing new to these Baptists
By Ken Camp The world focused on Cuba in recent days, gauging the impact of restored diplomatic relations with the United States after more than 50 years. But for a volunteer team from Texas, a trek to Cuba was business as…