The Trump administration’s war on blocking international students from U.S. higher education could affect not only the Ivy League but even small Christian schools and Southern Baptist Convention seminaries. While Harvard University has drawn the most attention and headlines in…
Jennifer Lyell, key figure in SBC abuse crisis, dies after brief illness
One of the key figures in the Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse crisis has died prematurely after reportedly suffering a massive stroke days earlier. Jennifer Lyell, a former executive at the SBC’s Lifeway Christian Resources, died Saturday, June 7, at…
Will the SBC keep Lakepointe after kicking out Saddleback?
Given how often Dallas megachurch pastors have been in the news for abuse scandals or for run-of-the-mill sacralized misogyny over the past year, it’s only fitting that the Southern Baptist Convention would host its 2025 annual meeting in Dallas. When…
For abuse survivors, SBC meeting brings pain and lessons
When the Southern Baptist Convention meets next week in Dallas, many clergy sex abuse survivors will feel the hurt and betrayal of it. This will be the first SBC annual meeting since Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg made it clear…
Documentary short film on SBC and women now available free online
An acclaimed documentary on the crisis around women in ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention has become available for free viewing just days before the denomination’s 2025 annual meeting in Dallas. The YouTube release of Hold the Line is especially…
Proposed SBC resolutions throw red meat to the base, avoid key issues
When the Southern Baptist Convention meets in annual session each summer, few things make as many headlines as the resolutions adopted in those two-day sessions. This year will be no exception as the voting participants — called “messengers” in SBC…
The rotten fruit of Paige Patterson’s loins
Progeny is a gift. In the Hebrew Bible, more than 20 distinct words describe children in various senses, such as “lad,” “boy,” “youngling,” “child,” “offspring” and more. They appear in some form or another more than 1,500 times throughout the…
SBC’s losses exceed membership in other denominations, Burge says
The Southern Baptist Convention has lost more members in the last two decades than many other denominations have in total membership, according to religion data analyst Ryan Burge. “The convention is down nearly 3.6 million members since its peak in…
Duane Rollins, who sued Pressler for sexual abuse, dies
Gareld Duane Rollins, whose allegations of abuse by Houston judge Paul Pressler were ignored for decades by leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention, died May 23, according to Robert Downen, the journalist who reported on his case more than anyone…
SBC annual meeting may be deja vu all over again
Note: For more discussion on the upcoming SBC annual meeting, check out the latest episode of BNG’s podcast “Stuck in the Middle with You.” In less than three weeks, messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting will descend…
Woman preaches at Lakepointe ‘under the fathers of this house’
In a scene reminiscent of a Serena Waterford speech from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian depiction of totalitarian patriarchy in The Handmaid’s Tale, Dallas megachurch pastor Josh Howerton and his fellow elders allowed a woman to preach on Mother’s Day. If you’re…
Why Mohler is wrong about the ERLC
While it greatly pains me to contradict Southern Baptist Theological President Al Mohler, an evangelical and Southern Baptist leader I have held in highest esteem for most of my adult life, I feel compelled to offer a respectful rebuttal to…