Southern Baptist fans of Eugene Peterson are questioning his salvation after he said in an interview he thinks it is possible to be both Christian and gay and, if asked, he would be willing to officiate a same-sex wedding. The next day the author retracted his statement.
Sarah Frances Anders, CBF leader and advocate for women in ministry, dies after battle with Alzheimer’s
Word has been received of the recent death of Sarah Frances Anders, a trailblazer for Southern Baptist women in ministry and past moderator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Anders, a longtime sociology professor at Louisiana College, died June 8 at…
Christian leaders call for criminal justice reform
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter joined 96 other Christian leaders supporting a campaign for criminal justice reform announced June 20. Spearheaded by Prison Fellowship, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, National Association of…
SBC leader says senator’s religious questioning out of bounds
The head of the Southern Baptist Convention public policy and religious liberty arm blasted Sen. Bernie Sanders’ grilling of a potential White House official over comments about Islam. Sanders (I-Vt.) said during a June 7 nomination hearing that Trump nominee…
Trump returning to Liberty University as commencement speaker
President Donald Trump will deliver the spring commencement address at Liberty University, returning to the scene of an appearance in January 2016 that helped put him on a path to winning widespread evangelical support in last year’s election. The school…
ERLC officers affirm Russell Moore
Officers of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty have affirmed the leadership of agency head Russell Moore, amid media reports that he might be fired. In an unusual statement March 20, the ERLC executive committee said Moore, under…
Seminarians push back at former SBC president escrowing Cooperative Program funds
Former Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham was greeted by students wearing “I Love CP” t-shirts and an open letter voicing concern about his Texas megachurch’s decision to temporarily withhold funding for the denomination when he spoke in chapel March…
As some key congregations threaten to defund SBC, leaders look for solutions
Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention are taking seriously threats to withhold funds by churches dissatisfied with recent positions on public policy taken by some of the convention’s agencies. During its board leadership meeting Feb. 20-21, the SBC Executive Committee…
Politics, homosexuality, roil competing Baptist bodies in Texas
Separate state conventions affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention in Texas that parted ways during the SBC conservative resurgence now face challenges of their own generated by current controversies over homosexuality and President Donald Trump. The Baptist General Convention of…
Russell Moore affirms effort by Congress to block DC death-with-dignity law
The Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for moral concerns applauded a rare attempt by Republicans in Congress to block a District of Columbia law that would make assisted suicide legal in the heavily Democratic district. Russell Moore, president of the…
Tennessee GOP leader moves ‘upstream’ to ERLC
The executive director of Tennessee Republican Party has taken a new job with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, Tenn., reported Jan. 25 the hiring of Brent Leatherwood as the…
Richard Land says evangelicals getting unprecedented input into Trump White House
A former Southern Baptist Convention official who sits on President-elect Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory board says even he is surprised by the amount of input the group is having in helping to shape the incoming administration. “I’ve been solicited five…
Christian radio host says Russell Moore defenders missing the point
A Christian radio commentator says Southern Baptist conservatives who want to withdraw financial support for their denomination’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission neither hate agency head Russell Moore nor are they persecuting him. They are just tired of political posturing…
Pastor says losing ERLC head would set back race relations
A black Southern Baptist pastor says recent talk of firing Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission head Russell Moore sends a message to ethnic minorities they are welcome in the Southern Baptist Convention only if they toe the political line. Dwight…