By Jeff Brumley Cooperative Baptist Fellowship leader Suzii Paynter ramped up her advocacy for immigration reform Aug. 28 in a conference call with reporters urging Texans in Congress to approve moral legislation that takes into account the economic needs of…
Moderates seek exit from ‘messy middle’
By Jeff Brumley Many are convinced that beyond addressing material and spiritual needs, moderate Baptist churches must become more vocal advocates for “the least of these” in society. Some are forming congregational programs, while institutions like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship are studying…
Photo project brings Lakota plight to light
By Vicki Brown A lifelong interest in Native Americans and an online article from 2006 about conditions on a South Dakota reservation prompted a Southwest Baptist University staff member about four years ago to travel to the Pine Ridge Oglala…
SBC leader: Bible Belt collapsing
By Jeff Brumley Russell Moore has been making the rounds of national media outlets, telling his secular interviewers of the collapse of the Bible Belt and how it is bad for America but good for the church. Moore, president of…
Egyptian Baptists evoke spirit of founders
By Jeff Brumley In a letter describing the Islamist persecution of Christians in Egypt, a Baptist minister in Cairo provides a disturbing warning against the entanglement of religion and politics. And portions of the letter, two U.S. church scholars say, are…
CBF churches brace for Obamacare
By Bob Allen It’s time to stop debating whether Obamacare is good or bad and start making good stewardship choices for church staffs and congregations, the head of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Church Benefits Board said in a CBF blog…
Editor says bylaw vote threatens CLC
By Bob Allen A Baptist state newspaper editor says Texas Baptist leadership should consider a do-over of a change to governing documents that could jeopardize six decades of respected social witness by the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission. The Baptist…
Reflections on a fast-moving year in CBF
By Vicki Brown Helping guide the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship through leadership changes and into a new structure was sometimes an exhausting, sometimes exciting process, said Keith Herron, the organization’s immediate past moderator. And it went by fast, he added. “We…
‘Loving OK’ succeeds despite low turnout
By Jeff Brumley Last week’s “Loving Oklahoma” tornado recovery campaign saw inspiring cooperation between Texas Baptists and Cooperative Baptists, but fell way short of its goal of drawing the 1,000 volunteers organizers wanted. Even so, planners said concerted effort to…