By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee My topic in this new series for ABPnews/Herald is the fierce conflict in culture, religion and law related to what I have initially called “the LGBT issue.” My goal is to think through this…
Starting a conversation: The LGBT Issue, part 1
By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee Everywhere I go, I run into “the LGBT issue,” whether I feel like running into it or not. You may feel the same way. And everywhere, it creates conflict. It surfaces and creates conflict…
Southern Baptists resolve to love the transgender sinner
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention has condemned acts of abuse or bullying against people who identify as a gender different than the one assigned at birth but said the transgender experience is not supported by Scripture. In a…
Transgender resolution proposed to SBC
By Bob Allen A college professor and ethicist would like for the Southern Baptist Convention to pass a resolution opposing “transgender identity” — described in a recent Time cover story as “America’s next civil rights frontier” — when the convention meets next…
Accused Baptist camp chaperone indicted
By Bob Allen A volunteer youth worker accused of playing strip poker for sexual gratification with boys at a North Carolina Baptist camp in 2013 has been indicted on felony charges. Clyde Wesley Way, 68, was indicted Jan. 21 by…
Rethinking the sacredness of marriage
By Colin Harris The closing days of 2013 saw two more states gaining approval for marriage equality, bringing the total to 18, suggesting a clear political momentum that will not likely be reversed. Around and beneath this legal process has…
Worn-out strategies in sexuality debate
By Cody J. Sanders It matters which questions we choose to ask, and for a long time now, churches have been asking a very limited set of questions about sexuality. Nearly every denomination in the United States — from the…
Wooly + waste (or the art of nonviolent Facebook-ing)
I’ve found it quite difficult to remain internet friends with people these days (thanks mostly to the DOMA ruling, Paula Deen, and living in the Southeast around the 4th of July). Now, I do realize it can be hard to…
Don’t Worry, Gay Scouts, Southern Baptists Still ‘Love’ You
At last week’s annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, messengers from SBC churches around the country voted on and approved a resolution concerning the recent change in membership policy by the Boy Scouts of America, which says that “no youth may…