By Bob Allen Wayne Ward, a longtime theology professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., died May 23 after suffering a stroke earlier in the week. He was 90. In 1951, Ward was elected instructor in theology and…
Trial nears for accused peeping evangelist
By Bob Allen A former traveling Southern Baptist evangelist and popular youth speaker under investigation in three states for video voyeurism has so far escaped prison in exchange for guilty pleas in two cases but now faces a June 25…
Lee Porter, longtime SBC officer, dies
By Bob Allen Lee Porter, a former Southern Baptist Convention leader who worked to ensure the integrity of voting in contentious ballots for the SBC presidency during a tumultuous era in the nation’s second-largest religious body, died May 17. He…
Former SBC officer arrested in protest
By Bob Allen A former Southern Baptist Convention official was arrested May 4 for kneeling and praying outside the White House on behalf of blind Chinese human-rights activist Chen Guangcheng. Wiley Drake, who served as second vice president of the…
Woman follows father into pulpit
By Vicki Brown A Southern Baptist church in Missouri is under scrutiny by its local association for replacing a pastor who resigned for health reasons with his daughter. Melody Pryor, pastor of First Baptist Church of Stanton, Mo., said she…
Mohler says churches ill-prepared for gay marriage
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist seminary president says American Christianity lacks credibility to confront same-sex marriage because of its own failure to model marital fidelity and life-long commitment in churches. Albert Mohler “We have to understand that where we…
New Mexico Baptists ponder future of Glorieta
By John Loudat Around 30 people from New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma gathered April 12 at Baptist Convention of New Mexico’s building to offer suggestions for the future of Glorieta Conference Center. They met at invitation of an ad hoc…
Panel urges ‘complementarians’ to practice what they preach
By Bob Allen A movement in evangelical Christianity that promotes male headship and wifely submission in marriage faces competition today not from radical feminists but rather believers who are “complementarian” in name only, according to a panel at a recent…
Oklahoma Baptists seek to revive personhood legislation
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist leaders in Oklahoma joined other clergy and lawmakers seeking to revive “personhood” legislation shelved by Republicans in the state’s House of Representatives. Representatives of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission…
A conservative at the Baptist sexuality conference
By Mike Glover As one of recently few attendees who is — and intends to remain — traditionalist in my ethic of sexuality, I found last weekend’s [Baptist] Covenant on Sexuality and Covenant a unique experience. I heard many speakers…
Stand Your Ground sponsor sees no contradiction with his Baptist faith
By Jeff Brumley The state legislator and Southern Baptist layman who championed the Stand Your Ground law made infamous in the Trayvon Martin case was relieved when the killer was charged with second-degree murder. “I was redeemed by it because…
Pastor says SBC should repudiate and/or replace Richard Land
An influential black pastor says the Southern Baptist Convention should repudiate remarks about race by the head of its ethics commission, and if Richard Land does not repent he should be fired. Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in…