The president of the Southern Baptist Convention appears to have endorsed proposed legislation in Tennessee that would impose the death penalty on women who have abortions. Clint Pressley, pastor of a church in Charlotte, N.C., weighed in on social media…
Conservative lawyer warns of legal overreach by NAMB and SBC
Attacks on the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board are coming not from the left or center but also from the far right, as evidenced by an article published online Feb. 11. The Center for Baptist Leadership — a…
Trump guidance on school prayer downplays neutrality, separation
President Donald Trump has released federal guidelines that reaffirm some Biden-era policies against school-sponsored prayers, highlight teachers’ freedom to say prayers that students can join, and dismiss the metaphor of a “wall of separation” as “legally unsound.” Trump promised new…
Will anyone in the SBC really speak against racism?
In 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution apologizing for its past ties to systemic racism and repenting of its founding history rooted in support for slavery. In 2015, the SBC adopted a resolution vowing to “rededicate ourselves to…
This week on BNG podcasts
BNG’s reporting on financial obfuscation at the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board is the topic of a new “Stuck in the Middle with You” podcast. Co-hosts Mark Wingfield and Benjamin Cole welcome to the show Jon Bullock, a…
As religious leaders decry Pretti’s death, SBC president is silent
The president of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination apparently had nothing to say about the murder of a 37-year-old ICU nurse in Minneapolis last Saturday. But Clint Pressley had quite a lot to say a week earlier when a group…
Cities Church isn’t being persecuted for righteousness
MAGA churches are not being persecuted for righteousness but for not loving their neighbors. They are being persecuted by unexpected judgment like Jesus cleansing the temple. Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., is not being persecuted for faithfulness to the…
Inside NAMB’s deficit spiral and the retirees paying for it
When Baptist News Global reported the North American Mission Board was cancelling life‑insurance coverage it long promised to forced retirees, NAMB described the move as painful but responsible “stewardship,” a hard step it said would let the mission board “live within…
What’s behind Denhollander’s apparent conflicts of interest?
Conflicts of interest are a bear, and sooner or later, the bear almost always bites. Three years ago, I wrote a mild-mannered column raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest issue involving Rachael Denhollander’s abuse-related work within the Southern…
Baptists have learned how to pass the buck on abusive clergy
Sexual predators in our midst have gotten a pass for far too long. While part of this is due to victimology, I believe a larger piece of this equation is a misunderstanding of the perpetrator. How many times will we…
Conflicts of interest and ‘dual roles’ undermined SBC abuse investigation
Across four years of Southern Baptist clergy sexual abuse research, investigations and debate, one name continually rises to the surface: Rachael Denhollander. The woman who began the public accusations against USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar in 2016 has played…
BWA, CBF and ABCUSA working together on Caribbean aid
The Baptist World Alliance and its partners must help rebuild Caribbean communities devastated by Hurricane Melissa and speak up about the human causes of catastrophic storms, said Karl B. Johnson, chairman of the Baptist World Alliance. “We have to commit…