I’m not sure if Esther Burroughs and Joy Fenner knew each other, but I suspect they must have. Both were trailblazing women in Southern Baptist life. Now they have died within four days of each other, causing an old-timer like…
Matt Gaetz: Another Southern Baptist impunity story
Lo and behold, Matt Gaetz is a Southern Baptist. So too is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who is trying to deep-six the House Ethics Committee report on Gaetz — a report that is said to include evidence about Gaetz’s sexual abuse of a 17-year-old…
Matt Gaetz is a Southern Baptist who appears to get a free pass
One of President-elect Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet nominees is a Southern Baptist. Matt Gaetz, who abruptly resigned his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives last week just days before a House Ethics Committee was to release its investigation…
Archbishop of Canterbury sets an example of accountability
In the wake of a scathing report about an abuse coverup, the archbishop of Canterbury has announced his resignation. “It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility,” said the archbishop, Justin Welby, in a Nov. 12…
BGCT: Listen to the women
One week after election day 2024, I found myself in another room where I needed to cast my vote. As a messenger to the 2024 Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting, I would need to vote on a motion…
BGCT tells Kevin Ezell no on 2000 Baptist Faith and Message
Kevin Ezell attempted to force Texas Baptists to adopt the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message or lose church planting partnerships with the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. Texas Baptists overwhelmingly said they would not do it. Ezell, president…
Understanding the David Platt story
Two weeks ago, I received a press release from a PR firm inquiring about my interest in interviewing pastor and New York Times bestselling author David Platt. The request struck me as unusual, as Platt typically only grants interviews coinciding…
Prominent Texas church quietly quits the SBC
Note: This story was updated Oct. 29 with additional comments from church leaders. One of the most prominent Baptist churches in Texas quietly quit the Southern Baptist Convention Oct. 27 — part of an unnoticed trend that’s hard to…
SBC says gender dysphoria is ‘irrelevant’ to Tennessee law banning health care for minors
Gender dysphoria is “irrelevant” to claims of transgender youth and the Biden administration that a Tennessee law blocking gender-affirming medical care for minors is unconstitutional, according to the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Fighting transgender medical treatment…
30 years ago, we warned Southern Baptists about rising Calvinism
Thirty years ago next month, Marv Knox and I warned Southern Baptists about the rising influence of Neo-Calvinism in their ranks. To most, this was shocking news at the time. Our words were more prophetic than we possibly could have…
“Stuck in the Middle with You’ podcast drops 10th episode
BNG’s new limited-series podcast, “Stuck in the Middle with You,” now has 10 episodes available for streaming and download. The series features BNG Executive Director Mark Wingfield in dialogue with Benjamin Cole, also known as The Baptist Blogger. Each episode…
Southern Baptists have voted heavily Republican in last four elections
Southern Baptists have voted consistently Republican in the last four presidential elections, researcher Ryan Burge says. In his analysis of 40 U.S. denominations, “the Southern Baptists and the independent Baptists are clearly the most Republican of the bunch,” he reported…