By Jeff Brumley It wasn’t Jim Somerville’s first visit to the Holy Land — or even his third or fourth. But the 10-day journey in early February was the first he had made with Muslim and Jewish clergy from Virginia. The…
Baptist pastor inspired by Jews, Muslims during Holy Land pilgrimate
By Jeff Brumley It wasn’t Jim Somerville’s first visit to the Holy Land — or even his third or fourth. But the 10-day journey in early February was the first he had made with Muslim and Jewish clergy from Virginia….
Unexpected spirituality emerges from night of sharing music
By Jeff Brumley For two decades, career pastor and two-time interim Mike Queen dreamed about getting a bunch of guys together to discuss and listen to their favorite music. Now fully retired and living in Wilmington, N.C., Queen finally pulled…
Watchman on the wall: Brent Walker’s 25 years in D.C.
Interview by Robert Dilday Twenty-five years is a long time in national public policy life. How is the religious-liberty landscape different than it was 25 years ago? The religious-liberty landscape is definitely different. In some ways, religious liberty is in…
Dean Smith’s pastor remembers him as courageous
By Norman Jameson Some idols hold up under scrutiny. Dean Smith, known best to the world as the man who built University of North Carolina basketball into a program of consistent national significance, died Feb. 7 three weeks short of…
Judge denies change of venue for Union University murder trial
By Bob Allen A judge in Jackson, Tenn., has turned down a request to move a former Union University student’s murder trial to another county claiming that pre-trial publicity would make it impossible to seat an impartial jury. As a…
CBF field personnel laments death sentence for two ‘Bali Nine’ members
By Jeff Brumley Australia and much of the rest of Asia are caught up in an international media and political storm swirling around the so-called Bali Nine as two of the group of drug smugglers are scheduled for execution in…
Alabama Baptist minister offers to marry same-sex couples
By Bob Allen A Baptist minister with childhood memories of her parents supporting African Americans in the struggle for civil rights saw Monday’s introduction of gay marriage to Alabama as a chance to make her own mark on history. Ellin…
Former Baptist blogger resigns as congressional aide over Facebook posts
By Bob Allen A congressional aide who 10 years ago as a young pastor helped introduce social media as a force in the Southern Baptist Convention, has resigned his job in Washington following controversy over Facebook posts criticized as racially…