By Bob Allen A guest column in a Baptist state newspaper takes exception to Southern Baptist leaders reacting to the recent church shooting in Charleston, S.C., with calls to take down the Confederate flag. Edward DeVries, pastor of Village of…
Christians shouldn’t be culture’s morality police
“I like your Christ,” said Mahatma Gahndi, “but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” There’s a billboard outside the city limits where I live. The canvas is white and in large black letters,…
‘First Amendment Defense Act’ gets Baptist support
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist leaders in two states urged support for a federal law aimed at protecting Americans who oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds. Critics, however, say that would allow employers to fire women for getting pregnant out…
Moore hopes Planned Parenthood controversy will galvanize pro-life evangelicals
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top public policy official says he hopes a controversial viral video claiming to show Planned Parenthood is selling fetal organs for profit will move evangelicals from right thinking to action on the sanctity…
Churches invited to celebrate ADA anniversary
By Bob Allen The approaching 25th anniversary of President George H.W. Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act is an opportunity for churches to celebrate progress and recognize work that remains to make society more open and accessible to people…
SBC leader calls for probe into Planned Parenthood video
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top spokesman for public policy concerns said “it is time for the reborn to stand up for the unborn” after viewing an undercover video purported to show a Planned Parenthood official discussing the…
Baptist colleges complicit in sin
Last week, two Baptist colleges in Texas jumped into the debate over women’s health. Baptist News Global reported that East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University objected to “providing — directly or indirectly — emergency contraceptive drugs they believe cause…
Marriage equality — what have Christians lost?
Should Christians who are celebrating marriage equality empathize with those who are grieving over the Supreme Court ruling? A call for such empathy recently came from a colleague in ministry who wrote, Whether or not you agree with those who…
Christian flag breaking
An excited patriot handed me one of those 10-inch flags that you stick into your lawn on July 4th.The plastic red, white and blue was intact, but the pole that once held it together was broken three stripes from the…