Proponents of Issue 3 on Arkansas’ Nov. 8 ballot claim it will protect individual religious freedom from violation by local and state government. Opponents say it clears the way for faith-based racial and sexual discrimination. “This is not about a…
Three-state merger hailed as transformative by CBF leaders
The planned merger of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship state groups in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi will benefit poverty, food insecurity and anti-racism ministries well beyond that region, CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley said. “The oldest Together for Hope sites are in…
Free webinars address five hot-button issues for churches in a post-pandemic world
A new webinar series aims to provide ministers with tools to nurture resilience in the face of congregational challenges such as political toxicity, declining attendance and financial pressures, said Matt Cook, assistant director of the Center for Healthy Churches. “The…
Will you join our church in declaring that this is a time to break silence?
On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. ascended to the pulpit of Riverside Church in New York City, one of the most historic churches in the country, and delivered a sermon titled, “A Time to Break Silence.” In this…
Beware when ‘law and order’ is cover for lawlessness and disorder
If you’ve been paying attention, the phrase “law and order” has saturated the news cycle of late. Some political candidates posture themselves as the “law and order candidate,” while other social commentators decry the absence of law and order in…
Children’s minister has taken a long journey close to home
As the crow flies, Kasey Eller hasn’t wandered too far from her roots in Little Rock, Ark. “I actually teach at the same middle school I went to, so I haven’t gone very far,” she explained. But Eller, 39, has…
You, too, can stand up for racial justice, Arkansans say
If a predominantly white church can stand for racial justice and inclusivity in the heart of the South, then other Cooperative Baptist Fellowship congregations should try to follow suit, an Arkansas pastor declared during the CBF General Assembly.