News
SBC sources: Paige Patterson made ‘black girl’ comments cited in Russell Moore letter
By Bob Smietana — June 3, 2021
(RNS) — Patterson was also critical of the Rev. Fred Luter, the SBC’s first Black president, saying Luter and other ‘ethnic’ leaders didn’t understand how important the denomination’s theology was.
PTL! Andrew Garfield, Jessica Chastain to star as Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker in biopic
By Emily McFarlan Miller — June 2, 2021
(RNS) — The biopic also will depict a number of other evangelicals who were prominent during the 1980s, including Jerry Falwell Sr., Jimmy Swaggart and Pat Robertson.
Report: Number of mosques in US grows overall, but African American mosques in decline
By Joseph Hammond — June 2, 2021
(RNS) — The majority of America’s new purpose-built mosques are found in suburban areas, a shift that reflects the demographic footprint of Muslims in America.
Russell Moore parts from Southern Baptists personally as well as professionally
By Adelle M. Banks — June 2, 2021
(RNS) — ‘We want to be a home base for Dr. Moore and his family as he serves the body of Christ at large,’ said the lead pastor of Immanuel Nashville.
Leaked Russell Moore letter blasts SBC conservatives, sheds light on his resignation
By Paul O'Donnell and Bob Smietana — June 2, 2021
(RNS) — In a letter written more than a year before his resignation, Moore explained his troubles with the SBC leadership in bitterly frank terms. Then-President Donald Trump barely makes an appearance.
Russell Moore to ERLC trustees: ‘They want me to live in psychological terror’
By Religion News Service — June 2, 2021
(RNS) — In February 2020, the president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission defended himself after a second task force was mounted to investigate complaints against him.
White House science adviser to be sworn in on a 500-year-old Jewish text
By Jack Jenkins — June 2, 2021
WASHINGTON (RNS) — ‘The minute we realized the question was values, we all went to tikkun olam,’ said Eric Lander, incoming director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
In Germany, blessings for same-sex couples exacerbate tensions with Vatican
By Ken Chitwood — June 1, 2021
(RNS) — A campaign to bless same-sex couples comes in defiance of a Vatican statement that such blessings were ‘not legitimate.’
Pope Francis issues long-awaited reform of Vatican penal law
By Claire Giangravé — June 1, 2021
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The changes include stronger penalties for sexual abuse, financial malfeasance and crimes against the sacraments, including the ordination of women.
Wilberforce University, AME Church school, cancels debt for 2020, 2021 grads
By Adelle M. Banks — June 1, 2021
(RNS) — The school said the amount of debt forgiveness for both classes totals more than $375,000 for the 166 new alumni.
Hundreds gather at historic Tulsa church’s prayer wall
By Peter Smith — June 1, 2021
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — As the ceremony came to an end, participants put their hands on the prayer wall along the side of the sanctuary while soloist Santita Jackson sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing."
Exclusive: Sex abuse allegations by Carl Lentz’s former nanny put spotlight on Hillsong culture
By Roxanne Stone — May 31, 2021
NEW YORK (RNS) — The allegations, which Lentz denies, are the most recent chapter in a scandal that has caused turmoil in the global church.
Tulsa pastors honor ‘holy ground’ 100 years after massacre
By Peter Smith — May 31, 2021
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Six congregations gathered to mark the centennial of the massacre and to honor the persistence of the Black church tradition in Greenwood.
Unknown Soldier’s precarious journey home included chaplain’s prayer
By Adelle M. Banks — May 28, 2021
(RNS) — ‘The chaplain and the captain got together and he held a special service, praying to God that the ship wouldn’t sink,’ a Marine recalled decades later.
Kentucky ties to Baptist kids agency at risk over LGBTQ rights
By Bruce Schreiner — May 28, 2021
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Baptist-affiliated Sunrise Children’s Services is refusing to sign a clause in a new contract with the state that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation.
