Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
IMB Trustee Denies Slander, Gossip Charges
A trustee facing removal from the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board said Thursday he is innocent of gossip and slander, charges leveled against him publicly in a motion requesting his removal from...
‘Last Holiday’
As movie awards season kicks in and movies about BIG THINGS take over everyone's talk, you might find yourself craving something light yet satisfying. If so, "Last Holiday" might be your dish. The Queen Latifah...
‘Glory Road’
"Glory Road," the latest movie from mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, is "based on the true story of the team that changed everything." That team is the 1965-66 Texas Western Miners basketball team, which made it to the...
Baptists Oppose War in Iraq
Claiming the only Baptist voices being heard are those supporting the war, the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America is collecting signatures to an online declaration opposing U.S. policy in Iraq. "For followers of...
Deep Joy
While viewing the football bowl games last week, I noted that the ABC television network was promoting some new series for their Monday night lineup with the phrase, "Putting the Fun Back in Romance." The promo clips...
Fallen Pastor Charged With Sex Offense
A former Southern Baptist pastor and denominational leader caught in a male prostitution police sting has been formally charged, according to an Oklahoma newspaper report. According to the Tulsa World, Lonnie Latham,...
New Movie Celebrates Civil Rights on Hardwood
The 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship pitted the Kentucky Wildcats against the Texas Western Miners. It stacked Kentucky's coaching powerhouse, Adolph Rupp, against Texas Western's upstart, Don Haskins. And it saw five...
The Battle for the Bible
In the week before Christmas a federal appeals court delivered the folks of Mercer County, Ky., a dubious present. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a display of the Ten Commandments featured in the...
TV Report Critical of Public Schools Termed ‘Major Development’ for ‘Exodus’ Movement
An ABC "20/20" report by John Stossel scheduled this Friday claims American high schoolers are being cheated out of a quality education by a union-dominated government bureaucracy that performs behind other countries...
IMB Recommends Removal of Trustee (updated)
Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board are seeking removal of a fellow trustee, reportedly accusing him of "slander" and "gossip" in a weblog documenting internal politicking on the...
Third ‘Justice Sunday’ Simulcast Touts Alito
Religious leaders James Dobson and Jerry Falwell and political leader Sen. Rick Santorum sought to rally conservative Christians to support confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito in a "Justice Sunday III"...
Pastor Accused of Lewdness Resigns from Church, Convention Leadership Roles
A pastor arrested last week in a homosexual sting operation has resigned from his church and from leadership positions with the Oklahoma and Southern Baptist conventions. Lonnie Latham, 59, senior pastor of South Tulsa...
Sunday Night Politics
The television show "The West Wing" moved to Sunday nights this season as the show's presidential election heated up. While such a move—from a more lucrative Wednesday night slot—unfortunately suggests that NBC is...
‘Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine’
Harold Bloom, professor of humanities at Yale University, has become one of the foremost thinkers of our time. So, when he publishes a new book, it is difficult not to take notice, and Jesus and Yahweh: The Names...
Black Lawmakers Plan to Fight Georgia Voter ID Law
African-American lawmakers entering Georgia's 2006 legislative session Jan. 9 are poised for a battle to repeal a law passed last year requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls. "I'm putting on the armor," Rep....
Foy Valentine, SBC Ethics Pioneer, Dies
Foy Valentine, leader of the Southern Baptist Convention's moral-concerns agency for a tumultuous 27 years spanning from the civil-rights movement of the 1960s to the fundamentalist takeover of the denomination in the...
Pat Robertson Says Sharon Being Punished By God
Televangelist Pat Robertson said Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon--fighting for his life following a stroke--is being punished by God. Sharon, 77, suffered brain damage from a stroke and ensuing...
Baptist Leader Arrested on Sex Charge
A politically active Southern Baptist pastor from Oklahoma was arrested Tuesday night and charged with offering to engage in a lewd act with a police officer posing as a male prostitute. Lonnie Latham, 59, senior...
No President Is Above the Law
President Bush apparently thinks two wrongs make a right. He plans to break a new law, because he wants the right to torture detainees in the war on terror. Bush and Vice President Cheney fought congressional efforts...
Ten Challenges for the Baptist World Alliance in the New Century
1. Unity--Many Baptist conventions worldwide are experiencing disharmony, because of conflict over Christian doctrine and ethics, or over differing views on types of worship or the charismatic movement. It is for that...
Southern Baptists Tout Ministry in Bowl Game TV Spots
A series of commercials touting Southern Baptists' ministries to "the least of these" blanketed much of the Bible belt during prime-time college football bowl games this week. An ad developed by the Southern Baptist...