By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist seminary president termed reports that embryonic stem cell treatments might have improved the vision of two blind patients “downright ominous.” “Might” is the key word, said Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,…
Pressler confab evokes bad memories for former SBC leader
By Bob Allen An interfaith leader and Baptist minister said a recent meeting of conservative evangelicals aimed at coalescing support for a Republican presidential candidate is part of a larger movement by individuals and groups that are attempting to “dominate…
Pressler denies Santorum endorsement was rigged
By Bob Allen The host of a weekend gathering of religious conservatives seeking consensus on an alternative presidential candidate to GOP front-runner Mitt Romney denied charges that balloting was rigged to give Rick Santorum the nod over rivals Newt Gingrich…
Youth minister arrested
By Bob Allen A Louisiana man was arrested Jan.11 after police reportedly traced the IP address of a computer used to solicit minors for sexual purposes to his workplace at a Baptist church. Mitchell J. Rousse, 33, of Patterson, La.,…
Gilyard hasn’t ruled out starting new church
By Bob Allen A former Baptist pastor just out of prison after serving three years for sexual abuse of children says he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of starting a new church. “I’m not sure — I’m just praying about…
Documentary claims age-graded Sunday school harms families
By Bob Allen A controversial new documentary movie contends age-graded Sunday school and youth ministry are doing more harm than good. In Divided, young filmmaker Philip Leclerc sets out to discover why so many people of his generation are leaving…
Women’s Bible commentary promotes ‘complementarian’ roles for sexes
By Bob Allen A Bible commentary by women and for women is now out in Old and New Testament volumes that seek to counter a prevailing view of women’s equality in the church and home. The two-volume Women’s Evangelical Commentary,…
Clergy sex offender released from prison
By Bob Allen An African-American preacher once popular in preaching circuits of the Southern Baptist Convention completed his three-year prison sentence for sex crimes with two girls in his congregation Dec. 28 and is now a registered sex offender on…
Former pastor claims reassignment was race-based
By Bob Allen A former staff member at Kentucky’s largest African-American congregation claims in a recently filed lawsuit that he was reassigned from a pastoral position because he is black. Billy Hollins, a Southern Baptist North American Mission Board-appointed missionary…
‘Birther’ lawsuit has setback
By Bob Allen California pastor Wiley Drake’s three-year legal battle challenging President Obama’s eligibility received a setback Dec. 22, when the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said he and other plaintiffs lacked legal standing to file their complaint. A…
Non-Catholics join opposition to contraceptive-coverage mandate
By Bob Allen More than 60 Protestant and Orthodox Jewish religious leaders wrote the White House Dec. 21 asking President Obama not to implement a mandate requiring all private insurers to provide contraception and sterilization coverage. Guidelines announced by Health…
Words alone won’t stop Baptist predators
By Christa Brown Penn State has hired former FBI director and federal judge Louis Freeh to investigate gaps in how the university handled allegations of child sex crimes involving former football coach Jerry Sandusky. To assist him in the task,…