By Brian Kaylor The Aug. 9, 2014, death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the killing of others elsewhere at the hands of white police officers and the recent massacre of nine African-American churchgoers by a white supremacist have grabbed…
How important is religious faith in our elected leaders?
While I tend to avoid any attention given to Donald Trump, it’s been difficult to maintain that stance in recent days. From his derogatory treatment of John McCain’s war record (“He’s a war hero because he was captured.
When belief becomes more important than people
Conservative evangelical Wheaton College has decided to stop offering health insurance plans to students rather than comply with federal requirements under the Affordable Care Act. The school is suing the Department of Health and Human Services claiming that the requirement…
Youth pastor’s arrest affects two churches
By Bob Allen Two prominent Southern Baptist churches in Oklahoma are cooperating with police after the arrest of a youth pastor charged with sending inappropriate text messages to four boys at his former congregation. Police in Shawnee, Okla., arrested Brian…
Fewer people moving doesn’t mean more will come to church, ministers say
By Jeff Brumley New research suggests Americans are increasingly choosing to put down roots where they currently live, a finding that raises questions about church health. The recent Barna Group project said mobility has declined overall over many years. Most…
Confederate flags left at MLK’s home church
By Bob Allen The pastor of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church called Thursday’s placement of four Confederate flags on the campus of the home church of Martin Luther King an act of hate and terrorism. “It is the kind of…
St. Louis mention in Planned Parenthood video riles Missouri abortion foes
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists in Missouri renewed calls for annual inspections at the state’s only abortion clinic after a controversial video exposé of Planned Parenthood mentioned St. Louis as a possible location to obtain fetal tissue. Susan Klein, legislative…
The truth about the church and social justice
What a time to be alive in American history. Political tensions are high, racial tensions are high, sexual orientation tensions are high… people are fighting for their beliefs with passion and commitment on both sides, and that in and of…
Pastor calls Planned Parenthood exposé ‘journalistic distortion’
By Bob Allen The pastor of a historic New York City church with Baptist ties says much of the recent brouhaha over abortion rights has to do with the fact that Planned Parenthood caters exclusively to women. “I think it’s…