By Bob Allen With the eyes of the nation trained on a presidential race that pollsters say is too close to call, voters in 38 states will decide in ballot initiatives Nov. 6 on hot-button issues including marijuana, marriage and…
Baptists divided on Florida amendment
By Jeff Brumley Florida Amendment 8 has pitted secular civil rights and education activists against religious conservatives in a rhetorical battle over the meaning of religious liberty. But the measure also has re-exposed the divide between Baptists over the separation…
Carter Center supports Israel probe
By Bob Allen Former President Jimmy Carter commended 15 Christian leaders whose recent call for Congress to investigate human-rights violations by Israelis against Palestinians caused tension between Jewish and mainline Protestant denominations in the United States. The Atlanta-based Carter Center…
Choosing faith and freedom
By Henry Green In Mark 10, James and John ask Jesus for the positions of authority when he establishes his kingdom. The others learn of this and “became indignant” toward James and John for making such a request. In the…
Pastor has harsh words for gays
By Bob Allen A former leader in the Southern Baptist Convention weighed into debate over gay marriage in Maryland, saying people who do such things, or approve of them, are “worthy of death.” Robert Anderson, pastor of Colonial Baptist Church…
The unculted
By Bill Leonard In his 1856 autobiography, Methodist circuit rider Peter Cartwright warned of those Protestants whose “pretense of Divine inspiration” led them to predict a new millennium while playing on the “ignorance, superstition and credulity of the people.” Some,…
The unculted
By Bill Leonard In his 1856 autobiography, Methodist circuit rider Peter Cartwright warned of those Protestants whose “pretense of Divine inspiration” led them to predict a new millennium while playing on the “ignorance, superstition and credulity of the people.” Some,…
“Biblical” monetary policy
In my New Testament class we are in the midst of going through the gospels. As a result, I assign my students the task of reading each gospel in its entirety in one sitting before we begin covering it in…
Candidates mum on the environment
By Bob Allen Heading into tonight’s third and final presidential debate between President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, neither candidate is talking about the environment, a number of socially conscious Christians have observed. Baptist blogger Brian Kaylor, an assistant…