By Bob Allen A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church in Baltimore has voted to disband and donate facilities valued at $2 million to a Southern Baptist church plant launched nearby five years ago. Patterson Park Baptist Church was constituted in 1913…
Baptist seminary head wins labor appeal
By Bob Allen A judge has ruled that a Baptist seminary in Zimbabwe acted improperly in the 2011 firing of its top administrator who resisted orders to lead the school in accordance with the Baptist Faith and Message statement adopted…
Debating doctorates in a missional world
By Jeff Brumley Brian McLaren is recognized as one of the most influential shapers of progressive Christian thought and has revolutionized the way many conceive and practice evangelism, church planting, worship and spiritual formation. Yet McLaren, who is closely associated…
Don’t blame Al Mohler, it was God’s idea
By Alan Bean It is hard to believe that two full decades have passed since R. Albert Mohler ascended to the presidency of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the seminary has produced…
Immigration ‘personal,’ Baptist leader says
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist Convention official says evangelicals are galvanizing around immigration reform because increasingly if affects someone they know. “A primary motivating factor for us is this has become personal for us,” Barrett Duke, vice president for…
Why Paige Patterson’s anti-outsider stance is wrong
By Christa Brown Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president Paige Patterson preaches that churches should resolve their conflicts internally and should not take them to “the world of unbelief.” This means, he explains, that when a person has been “offended ……
Right rejects Baptist leader’s ‘pullback’ call
By Bob Allen Southern Baptists’ new leader for public policy concerns is drawing criticism from the Religious Right for public comments calling for a truce in the American culture wars. Russell Moore, the 42-year-old president of the Southern Baptist Ethics…
Why we ordain (even for women)
We are going to make history this Sunday at Augusta Heights Church in Greenville, SC. For the first time in the 63-year history of the church, we will celebrate the ordination of a woman, Debbie Roper, to the gospel ministry….
SBC leader defends ‘sectarian’ prayer
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top expert on religious-liberty concerns says the U.S. Supreme Court should uphold a New York town’s practice of opening its city council meetings with sectarian prayer. “A prayer, by definition, isn’t a speech…