The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Southern Baptist Convention are among a coalition of faith groups applauding the recent repeal of a government rule that they believe would have expanded predatory lending. Opposition to payday lending and other forms of…
The problem with not talking about politics at church
Here’s the problem with saying we must never talk about politics at church: We immediately cede to politicians the right to define what is political and what is theological. And then the church loses its voice on theology because important…
Reins on payday lending called good start
Consumer advocates welcomed new rules proposed by the federal government to rein in abuses in payday lending, a nearly $40 billion industry currently regulated by the states. Regulations released June 2 by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a five-year-old federal…
Moving beyond opposition to payday lending
One of the things I love about working in a downtown church is the way it brings me into relationships with poor people. I love this not because I believe I am of much value to them beyond what I…
CBF, New Baptist Covenant team up for civil rights event
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and New Baptist Covenant will host an offsite event June 24 at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum focusing on advocacy and racial reconciliation during the 2016 CBF General Assembly in Greensboro, N.C. Attendees will…
Payday loans and potato chips
“Payday loans are the Lay’s potato chips of finance; you can’t have just one and they’re terrible for you.” Comedian John Oliver dropped that line during a segment on his new show Last Week Tonight back in August. The HBO…
The “ruinous consequences” of payday lending
“Very few things harden the heart more than usury in all its forms.” A Baptist pastor in North Carolina wrote those words in the October 31, 1840 edition of the Biblical Recorder. Citing a slew of Bible verses from Exodus…