In Unusual Move, SBU Trustees Deny Tenure or Promotion to Several Faculty Members
Trustees for Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, recently denied tenure or promotion applications from five faculty members in various departments. The unusual action could raise new concerns for the school already facing an inquiry by its accreditation body.
Rick Warren Apologizes for Children’s Sunday School Video Loaded with Asian Culture Stereotypes
Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren has apologized for a children’s Sunday school curriculum video that used Asian culture stereotypes to teach kids about the Bible. The video has been removed.
SBC Report Calls Never-Trumper Russell Moore’s Agency a ‘Significant Distraction’
In a long-awaited report released Monday (Feb. 1), a task force commissioned to study the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission calls the convention’s public policy arm a “significant distraction from the Great Commission work of Southern Baptists.”
McKissic: SBC Welcomes Blacks Only on Front Porch
As Dwight McKissic looks at the Southern Baptist Convention these days as a Black pastor in Texas, he sees a parallel with a scene in the new film One Night in Miami. He talked about issues of racism and the SBC in the latest episode of the Word&Way podcast “Baptist Without An Adjective.”
Maryland Episcopal Churches Commit to Reparations
A historic Episcopal church in Baltimore has committed to setting aside $100,000 to reparations, an initiative that will contribute to local racial justice causes. Memorial Episcopal Church also pledged to contribute an additional $400,000 for reparations and justice over five years.
Houses of Worship Offer Spaces for Vaccine Distribution
Two national religious groups, one evangelical Christian, the other Orthodox Jewish, have teamed up to offer their sacred spaces for vaccine distribution, hoping to assist government officials and private companies in the effort to combat the ongoing pandemic.
In Sunday Sermon, Warnock, Now Senator & Pastor, Said He Heard ‘Echoes of the Spirit’ in Swearings-In
On the first Sunday after he became a U.S. Senator, the Rev. Raphael Warnock described his election and the changing scene at the U.S. Capitol — from insurrection to inauguration — as forms of divine messaging.
Some Black Southern Baptists Feel Shut Out by White Leaders
As a student in college and seminary, then as a pastor in Texas, Dwight McKissic has been affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention for more than 45 years. Now he’s pondering whether he and his congregation should break away.
Protesters & Supporters Denounce Explosion at Anti-LGBTQ First Works Baptist Church
As the FBI and local police investigate an explosion at First Works Baptist Church in El Monte, California, which has been the center of protests for its anti-LGBTQ messages, both supporters and protesters of the church are denouncing the attack.
Longtime Word&Way Columnist Doyle Sager Passed Away
Doyle Sager, a Word&Way columnist and the lead pastor at First Baptist Church in Jefferson City, Missouri, passed away Friday (Jan. 22) after a battle with cancer. He was 69.