Southern Baptist leaders and organizations should have known former youth minister Keenan Hord posed a danger to minors at First Baptist Church in Bentonville, Ark., according to a lawsuit filed by the parent of a sexual abuse victim. The action…
Mandrell to leave Lifeway for Memphis pastorate
Six years after taking leadership of Lifeway Christian Resources, Ben Mandrell is leaving for a prominent Tennessee pastorate. The pastor search committee at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis has unanimously recommended Mandrell as the church’s next senior pastor, succeeding Steve…
White evangelical men weaponize the gospel against women because they don’t respect women
“Do men desperately need respect, while women desperately need love?” This was the question posed by Sheila Gregoire on a recent episode of the “Bare Marriage” podcast. “That is the thesis of a lot of bestselling books in evangelicalism like Love and…
Former Bellevue youth pastor ‘credibly accused of abusing adolescents’ at Baptist church in Arkansas
A former youth pastor at one of the Southern Baptist Convention’s flagship churches was arrested last week on one charge of sexual indecency with a child, according to a report in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. Keenan Hord, 32, worked at a…
Prominent Southern Baptists join Franklin Graham’s call for day of prayer for President Donald Trump
Three former presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention are among more than 250 religious leaders joining a call by evangelist Franklin Graham to set aside Sunday, June 2, as a special day of prayer for President Donald Trump.
Trump, Kavanaugh and their strange (religious) bedfellows
It’s not every day that the progressive Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the conservative American Family Association agree on something. But it’s happened thanks to President Trump, whose nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, 53, to the…
SBC president apologizes to women for comments by seminary head
Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines sought forgiveness from women hurt by careless remarks in the past by a 75-year-old seminary president recently resurrected in social media.
SBC spokesman promises ‘due diligence’ regarding Frank Page’s unidentified ‘indiscretion’
Southern Baptist Convention leaders have no reason to believe the “personal failing” behind last week’s resignation of the denomination’s top executive involved anything illegal but will investigate further, according to a spokesman.
SBC president, CBF pastors join in call to remove Confederate statue
The president of the Southern Baptist Convention joined more than 170 black and white clergy, including Cooperative Baptist Fellowship pastors, in Memphis, Tenn., in an open letter Sept. 13 seeking permission from the state or local officials to remove a Confederate monument from a city park.
Advocates fault new SBC president’s record on child sex abuse
Advocates for survivors of clergy sex abuse say they are disappointed the Southern Baptist Convention has elected a new president once accused of shielding a child molester. “We’re disappointed that the Southern Baptist Convention just elected Bellevue Baptist pastor Steve Gaines…
Memphis pastor wins tight race for SBC president
Tennessee megachurch pastor Steve Gaines was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention June 15 when another candidate conceded in a runoff election that was too close to call. Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., came three…