By Bob Allen An embattled preacher at the center of what has been called the biggest evangelical sexual-abuse scandal to date heaped praise on a Southern Baptist leader criticized for sticking by him at a weekend conference attended by both…
Calvinist preacher dropped from program
By Bob Allen A controversial evangelical preacher, named in a highly publicized lawsuit alleging participation in what has been described as the biggest evangelical sexual-abuse scandal to date, is no longer listed as a speaker for an upcoming collegiate conference…
Baptist seminary head wins labor appeal
By Bob Allen A judge has ruled that a Baptist seminary in Zimbabwe acted improperly in the 2011 firing of its top administrator who resisted orders to lead the school in accordance with the Baptist Faith and Message statement adopted…
Alabama CBF names new leader
By Bob Allen Terri Byrd has been elected as full-time coordinator of the Alabama Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, effective Dec. 1. Byrd, an ordained minister, is the fourth person to lead the statewide network of about 30 churches, and the first…
Nadia Bolz-Weber speaks at Baptist church
By Bob Allen Trends like the waning influence of denominations and rise of the religious “nones” don’t mean that churches should abandon their denominational identity, author and Lutheran church planter Nadia Bolz-Weber said Tuesday evening at Calvary Baptist Church in…
Sermons stretch as biblical literacy wanes
By Jeff Brumley Religious literacy has declined to the point where modern audiences would be baffled at films like Monty Python’s 1979 The Life of Brian, A British Broadcasting Corp. official said recently. Comedians are also affected, Aaquil Ahmed told The…
Pastor in Central Asia faces year in prison
By Bob Allen A Baptist pastor in Kazakhstan faces up to a year in prison after refusing to pay a fine equivalent to about two months’ average salary for conducting worship without government permission, the international news service Forum 18…
Chaplain joined Navy to hide from God
By Jeff Brumley The biggest challenge of being a chaplain isn’t always the long hours or never knowing what crisis is right around the corner. Jim Pope says it’s the general assumption by others that chaplaincy isn’t real ministry. Now…
Right rejects Baptist leader’s ‘pullback’ call
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists’ new leader for public policy concerns is drawing criticism from the Religious Right for public comments calling for a truce in the American culture wars. Russell Moore, the 42-year-old president of the Southern Baptist Ethics…