By Jeff Brumley Adam English admits he is a bit of an oddity as both a Baptist and a big fan of the saints. But he’s also unapologetic about it. “I was surprised, as a Baptist, that the word ‘saint’…
Veteran Baptist communicator Pat Pattillo dies from leukemia
By Bob Allen Wesley M. (Pat) Pattillo, a long-time communications and development executive for both Baptist and ecumenical organizations, died Dec. 22 after a six-month battle with leukemia. Pattillo, 75, retired in 2011 after 10 years as associate general secretary…
Chowan University mourns student’s death
By Bob Allen A Baptist-affiliated university in North Carolina recently mourned the loss of a student murdered at an off-campus party Dec. 5. Flags flew at half-staff at Chowan University in Murfreesboro, N.C., for a Dec. 9 memorial service for…
Mercer student tackles Mid-East travel, anti-Muslim attitudes with fervor
By Jeff Brumley When Macon native and Mercer University student Alayna Williams signed up for a cultural exchange trip to Qatar a few months ago, she and the rest of the family decided not to tell dad. “They didn’t tell…
State Supreme Court reverses convictions of peeping preacher
By Bob Allen The Mississippi Supreme Court has reversed 10 of the 13 counts of a traveling Southern Baptist evangelist convicted three years ago of video voyeurism. Sam Nuckolls, a former youth camp pastor for LifeWay Christian Resources, was sentenced…
Jimmy Carter says he is cancer free
By Bob Allen Former President Jimmy Carter announced Dec. 6 that he is cancer-free, four months after revealing that cancer removed from his liver had spread to four spots on his brain. Carter, 91, a lifelong Baptist who identifies with…
Controversial Wiley Drake ministers to San Bernardino survivors
By Bob Allen A former second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention counseled survivors of Wednesday’s deadly shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. Wiley Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., elected an SBC officer in…
SBHLA director announces retirement plans
By Bob Allen Bill Sumners, an archivist who for more than 30 years has overseen one of the most respected historical collections by a religious denomination, will retire next July as director of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives….
Tennessee’s lone Arabic Baptist pastor dies
By Bob Allen A retired Southern Baptist missionary, whose attempts to evangelize Muslims in Middle Tennessee recently attracted attention in national media, died unexpectedly the day before Thanksgiving. Raouf Ghattas, 69, pastor of the Arabic Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn.,…