By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention official has refused to apologize for comments seven years ago that critics of the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse were not really advocating on behalf of children but rather were opportunists motivated by…
Churches, like Christ, must de-stigmatize mental illness, embrace those who suffer from it
By Bill Webb Humankind has struggled with the matter of mental disorders — or mental illness — as long as people can remember. And the same can be said for Christians, from the time of Christ to the present moment….
Publisher of controversial book resigns from Christian media group
By Robert Dilday The publisher of a book which has drawn strong criticism from Southern Baptist and other evangelical leaders for its view of homosexuality has resigned from one of the nation’s largest association of Christian communicators. WaterBrook Multnomah, a…
Prayer and resistance
Just after seeing Jesus transfigured, the disciples run into a little trouble. A man with a boy possessed by a demon approaches them to cast out the demon. The disciples try, gathering a big crowd along the way, but they…
As ‘culture warriors,’ Sunday school teachers wield political clout, says study
By Terry Goodrich Volunteer lay leaders serve as political opinion leaders within churches, with considerable power to deepen — or bridge — gaps between religion and politics, according to a new study by Baylor University researchers. The study — “Sunday…
A new cultural orthodoxy
How shall we handle it when the forces of modern tolerance finally shed their sheep’s clothing and begin baring their teeth? In the last several months this question has moved from the realm of the theoretical to become intensely practical….
How to handle those pesky blog ‘trolls’
After blogging for over 5 years, I’ve been on the receiving end of some pretty harsh comments. I’ve found there are two types of negative blog commentator: productive criticism and blog trolls. Blog trolls, like their mythical archetypes, lurk in…
Jury returns guilty verdict in abuse case
By Bob Allen A Maryland jury has found 56-year-old Nathaniel Morales guilty of five counts of sex crimes he committed in the 1980s and early 1990s at a prominent Washington-area evangelical church. Leaders allegedly knew about abuse allegations but did…
Al Mohler, Jesus and the death penalty debate
Would Jesus support the death penalty? Mother Theresa posed the question to the Governor of California in 1990. She was pretty sure he knew the answer. According to a recent Barna poll: Only 5 percent of Americans believe that Jesus…
Trial shines light on alleged abuse cover-up
By Bob Allen A longtime pastor at a D.C.-area evangelical church testified in court May 13 that he did not report crimes alleged in 1992 against a man standing trial this week on charges of sexual abuse, according to a…
Faith leaders support hike in minimum wage
By Bob Allen Paying a full-time worker $290 a week in today’s economy is immoral, faith leaders said in a recent letter urging Congress to raise the minimum wage. “The call to raise the minimum wage is about more than…
American Baptists defend clergy housing allowance
By Bob Allen American Baptist Churches USA joined other faith groups in a friend-of-the-court brief filed last month urging the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the ministerial housing allowance as a constitutional accommodation of religion. The brief…