Baptist news stories on Newser

Baptist Perry Backer Calls Mormonism a 'Cult'

John Johnson — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:03:10 CDT

Rick Perry spoke today at the conservative Values Voter Summit, but the guy who introduced him seems to be stealing all the headlines. That would be Robert Jeffress, a Baptist pastor of a Dallas megachurch who told reporters later that Mormonism is a "cult" and that evangelicals should therefore pick...

Alabama Gov: OK, You're All My Brothers!

Polly Davis Doig — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:45:49 CST

Robert Bentley is quickly getting the hang of being a politician: Alabama's new governor stuck his foot in it in his first hour in office, and now he's rapidly mastering the art of apologizing. "If anyone from other religions felt disenfranchised by the language, I want to say I am...

Baptist Pastors Prayed for Obama Death on Presidents Day

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:54:51 CST

While a handful of Americans might have taken a few minutes to reflect favorably on George Washington and Abe Lincoln on Presidents Day, some evangelical leaders devoted their time to praying for Barack Obama's death. The "Imprecatory Prayer" is a favorite of Arizona’s Baptist preacher Steven L. Anderson and Orange...

Clinton Foe Ken Starr to Lead Baylor U.

Will McCahill — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:53:00 CST

Ken Starr, whose investigation as a special prosecutor helped propel the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton, is to be the next president of Baylor University, the Baptist Texas school announced today. Starr, 63, has been dean of the law school of conservative Pepperdine University since 2004.

Parents Reunite With Haitian 'Orphans' Taken by US Group

Harry Kimball — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:42:07 CST

As 10 Americans wait in a Haitian jail for a court hearing, which a prosecutor says could include criminal conspiracy charges, the children they are accused of trying to spirit out of the country illegally are being reunited with parents. “Many are saying that we have parents,” the CEO of...

A Baptist and a Mullah Team Up to Fight Taliban

Matt Cantor — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:35:12 CDT

A Baptist Army officer has teamed up with an Afghan mullah to fight Taliban propaganda that calls the Afghan army godless. “The only way we can keep people from becoming Taliban is by promoting the Muslim nature of the Afghan National Army,” says the mullah, Lt. Col. Abdul Haq. So...

This Week, Britney May Be Jewish

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:19:14 CDT

Britney Spears was raised a Baptist, but her latest accessory—a Star of David necklace—led the New York Daily News to take a look back at the religions she’s tried out: In 2003, it looked as though she would be one of Madonna’s Kabbalah converts, and she started sporting...

Survey: Religion Shrinks in US

Matt Cantor — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:00:00 CDT

A new survey shows sweeping changes in US religious attitudes over the past 18 years, with most religions losing members despite population growth, USA Today reports. Those identifying themselves as Christians have dropped 11% in a generation; mobility and marriage patterns have uprooted many religious affiliations. “More than ever before,...

'Cowboy Church' Lassos New Followers

Nick McMaster — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:49:02 CST

Rodeo competitions and baptisms in horse troughs are on offer at the Cowboy Church of Ellis County, Texas, part of a movement that uses an unconventional approach to draw worshippers to the flock, the AP reports. Cowboy churches have existed for 40 years but have grown in popularity in the...