Church

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention said Friday that several of the denomination’s major entities are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice in the wake of its multiple problems related to clergy sex abuse.

A predominantly Black denomination and prominent union have joined forces in a new voter mobilization initiative ahead of the midterm elections. Reviving a partnership they had in the 1960s, the laborlab Convention and the AFL-CIO are launching a faith and labor alliance focused on battleground states.

When the Rev. Megan Rohrer was elected bishop of the ELCA’s Sierra Pacific Synod in 2021, the election was celebrated as a revolution in and outside of the denomination. But what followed is a "perfect storm" of charismatic personalities and a heightened awareness of racism, all brewing in one of the country’s whitest denominations.

Perkins, as much an organizer as a clergyman, was often one of the few Black leaders in predominantly white evangelical settings. Throughout his life, Perkins has overcome the deaths of loved ones and his onetime hatred of white people, who included police who took the life of his brother and, years later, nearly killed him.

The conference, meeting for the first time in 14 years, was supposed to be an attempt to bring the Anglican Communion together — to pray, listen and discuss issues that affect the church and the world. More than 650 bishops registered to attend, including more than 100 from the Episcopal Church. They represent some 85 million Anglicans worldwide.

Imagine being a person with a disability at an unremarkably common worship service. Even if a worship space has ramps, accessible seating, large-print programs, and a separate room for those feeling overstimulated, the theology of many Christian services itself can offer little besides condemnation and exclusion.

Ron Sider, an author, seminary professor, and evangelical social justice activist, has died, according to an online update from his son. A longtime professor at Palmer Theological Seminary, is best known for his 1977 book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, and for founding Christians for Social Action.

While Bart Barber has been involved with Southern Baptist Convention polity for years — he was the head of the resolutions committee that selected and shaped many of the proposed reforms — Barber is the first SBC president in nearly two decades not to emerge from an urban or suburban megachurch.

Archaeologists in Virginia began excavating three suspected graves at the original site of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches on Monday, commencing a monthslong effort to learn who was buried there and how they lived. 

Lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson challenged Baptists from around the world to be truth-tellers about racial injustices. He spoke to a special session of the Baptist World Alliance’s annual gathering on Thursday.