After two days of meetings, representatives of Paige Patterson and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary say they have determined, with no disagreements, the rightful ownership of 89 boxes of documents related to Patterson’s 1992-2003 presidency at Southeastern. Southeastern said it recovered “student” and “personnel” records from Patterson. Patterson’s representatives said he maintained all but about one-third […]
When a white supremacist gunned down nine black worshipers at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, S.C., mission catalyst Bob Lawler knew he had to say something to the Baptist association he led in northern California. So Lawler gathered the association’s 48 ethnically diverse churches for a joint worship service. When he stood to preach, Lawler […]
In light of “an accelerated rate of erosion” at “brick-and-mortar” stores, LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer has announced that some LifeWay stores will be closing. The number of stores to close and the timing of those closures has not been announced. Rainer wrote in a Jan. 15 email to all LifeWay employees, “We […]
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s 71-page report on the institution’s history of slavery and racism garnered coverage in hundreds of media outlets during the week following its release. Reaction to the report ranged from affirmation by many evangelicals to criticism from both the left and right. “Insofar as there is any legitimacy to any criticism, we […]
Trustee Wayne Dickard of South Carolina votes against board action to ratify dismissal of former president In a meeting characterized by unity despite differences of opinion, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s trustees voted to uphold the trustee executive committee’s decision in May to terminate former president Paige Patterson. Trustees revisited Patterson’s termination at their Oct. 15-17 […]
Chuck Kelley’s New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary chapel sermon on “the Baptist blues” was not an attack against anyone in the Southern Baptist Convention, he told Baptist Press today Aug. 29, but an attempt to foster unity by getting “conversation on the table.” “If people are unaware of the simmering divisions in our convention, we’re […]
The committee charged with nominating the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee “has not begun to look at names yet” and says “any speculation or social media posts about who we may nominate is just that, speculation,” according to an update released June 20 by search committee chairman Steve Swofford. The update […]
A task force appointed last year to explore avenues of evangelistic renewal among Southern Baptists has released its final report, including a series of eight recommendations for individuals and groups at all levels of Southern Baptist life. “We are convinced that these suggestions can be heartily embraced by all gospel-loving Southern Baptists,” the report stated, […]
At an annual meeting that saw what chief parliamentarian Barry McCarty called an “extra heavy volume of business” on its opening day, the Southern Baptist Convention elected J.D. Greear as convention president and heard an address by Vice President Mike Pence. Amid the national #MeToo movement, messengers to the June 12-13 SBC annual meeting in […]
In a meeting that began at 1:30 p.m. May 22 and ended just after 3 a.m. May 23, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s trustees appointed Paige Patterson president emeritus effective immediately. They also named as interim president of the seminary Jeffrey Bingham, dean of Southwestern’s School of Theology, pending his acceptance. In addition, trustees adopted a […]