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…
Baptist leader urges better police training about how to interact with mentally ill
By Bob Allen Better police training about how to interact with people with mental health conditions and developmental disabilities can prevent needless tragedy, an American Baptist official told a Senate panel April 29. “Recent high-profile tragedies demonstrate the need for…
Motives matter
If a random Google search is anything to go by, it was Ralph Waldo Emerson who originated this clever quip, albeit in a slightly altered form: “I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not…
‘Most Bible-minded city’ status doesn’t impress Baptist pastors
By Jeff Brumley Leading a church in a city recently described as the most “Bible-minded” in America does have its advantages, Thomas Quisenberry said. Mainly: not a lot of necessity to explain the backstory during sermons and Scripture discussions, said…
Rethinking the death penalty
The death penalty is at the forefront of our news cycles once again. First the Tennessee legislature, due to a shortage of the standard execution drug, approved the return of the electric chair. Then, while experimenting with a new drug combination,…
Faiths can build bridges of understanding, BJC’s Walker tells Harvard audience
By Marv Knox Rights, responsibility and respect provide the infrastructure for bridges of understanding between faith groups, Baptist religious-liberty advocate Brent Walker stressed in a symposium at Harvard University May 1. Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for…
SBC leader says Christians should support death penalty
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist seminary president says Christians should support the death penalty, but not necessarily how it is administered in the United States today. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in a CNN commentary…