By Bob Allen Clarissa Strickland, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s longest-serving staff member, retired June 30 after 23 years of service. Strickland — legendary in CBF life both as a speaker at retirement banquets for her “Dare She Scrolls” tributes delivered in…
Former SBC president writes on behalf of convicted New Orleans mayor
By Bob Allen The immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention sought leniency for former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, convicted in February on 20 criminal counts including bribery, fraud and money laundering, in a letter in the case…
God on the job: Church attendance affects attitudes in the workplace
By Terry Goodrich A congregation’s beliefs about work attitudes and practices affect a churchgoer’s job satisfaction — but how much depends in part on whether that person is a frequent attender, not merely an occasional participant. That finding is included…
Court date set in murder of Union University student
By Bob Allen A former Union University student accused of murdering his fiancée and staging her death to look like a suicide returns to court July 10 for a preliminary hearing, according to local media. Charles “Charlie” Pittman, 21, has…
Anne Neil, advocate for women ministers, dies at 94
By Robert Dilday Anne T. Neil, a former Baptist missionary whose advocacy for women ministers led to her own ordination to the ministry at age 80, died June 8 in Raleigh, N.C. She was 94. Neil’s passion for gender parity…
Washington’s Amy Butler elected pastor at Riverside Church in New York
By Robert Dilday Amy Butler, a Baptist pastor in Washington nominated April 27 to fill the pulpit of the prominent Riverside Church in New York City, was elected June 8 as the 84-year-old congregation’s first woman pastor. Butler, 44, who…
Grandson says Fred Phelps changed mind about gays
By Bob Allen Fred Phelps, founder of the virulently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., may have been excommunicated for having a change of heart toward homosexuals, his grandson revealed in a statement posted on Facebook and an interview…
N.C. pastor Matt Cook nominated as CBF moderator-elect
By Emily Holladay North Carolina pastor Matt Cook has been nominated as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s moderator-elect, it was announced May 27. Cook, who serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Wilmington, N.C., has deep roots in CBF life…
Garland to step down as Truett Seminary dean
By Ken Camp David Garland will step down as dean of Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary when he assumes the post of interim provost of the university June 1. In February, when Furman University named Baylor Provost Elizabeth Davis as…