Facebook is Not Your Church’s Friend
Facebook is seeking increased engagement with American religious communities. In this edition of A Public Witness we detail some major concerns of congregations uncritically accepting this friend invitation.
Services at Tennessee Governor’s Church Disrupted by Megachurch Pastor Feud
Services at an influential Nashville-area megachurch were disrupted Sunday after the wife of the church’s founding pastor stood up and accused his successor of conspiring against him.
Before Dropping Petition, SBU Sought to Block Discovery of Evidence
Trustees for Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, last week dropped their proposed new governing documents amid a five-month court challenge. But before they did, SBU’s attorney filed several motions, including an attack on Word&Way.
SBU Drops New Governing Document Amid Court Challenge
Less than a year after approving new governing documents to give greater legal control to the Missouri Baptist Convention, the trustees at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, pulled the new articles of agreement. The move leaves the school’s older articles in place and ends
Episcopal Diocese of Maine Mandates Vaccine for Clergy
The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine mandated Monday that all clergy and staff in the diocese be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of September. It is one of the first COVID-19 vaccine mandates for clergy in the United States.
Nadia Bolz-Weber Installed as ELCA’s First Pastor of Public Witness
The Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber was installed this weekend as the first pastor of public witness for the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. Bolz-Weber, who has often attracted controversy, is perhaps best known for her New York Times bestselling books.
Historic American Church Set to Integrate its Slavery Ties
The great contradiction of Boston’s Old North Church is that a site pivotal to the freedom of the nation is the same place where slave owners and traders once worshiped.
SBU Picks New President with History at Controversy-Plagued Institutions
On Friday, Southwest Baptist University announced its new president to lead the school after its previous president resigned amid an ongoing nearly three-year conflict over power and theology. Rick Melson, vice president for advancement at Cedarville University in Ohio, will become SBU’s 26th president.
Back-to-School Time Influences Congregations’ Decisions on Masking & Meeting
The return to in-person school in many communities across the country means many houses of worship are grappling with whether children — especially those under 12 who do not have access to a COVID-19 vaccine — should be exposed to adults, vaccinated and unvaccinated.
Gina Stewart Becomes First Woman Elected to Lead U.S. Black Baptist Organization
In a pathbreaking decision, the Rev. Gina Stewart has been elected as the first woman president of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Society, marking the first time a female has been chosen for the highest post of a Black Baptist organization.