By Diana Chandler Baptist Press NASHVILLE — Online hotel registration opens Oct. 1 for the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, which will be held June 15-16 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. Online registration will be available at sbcannualmeeting.net beginning at 8 a.m. Central Daylight Time. Ronnie Floyd, SBC Executive Committee president and CEO, said messengers and guests will benefit from the many hotel rooms

By Tom Strode Baptist Press WASHINGTON — Southern Baptist leaders Russell Moore and Ronnie Floyd commended President Trump’s nomination (Sept. 26) of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. As expected, the president announced at the White House his choice of Barrett to succeed the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18 after 27 years on the high court. Trump’s selection of Barrett, a judge on the Seventh

By Scott Barkley Christian Index ATLANTA — In a video announcement following the online service at First Baptist Church in Atlanta today, longtime pastor Charles Stanley announced his transition to pastor emeritus. Stanley, who came to First Baptist as an associate pastor in 1969 before being named pastor two years later, informed the church’s board earlier this month of the decision. “I’m so grateful [God] saw fit to allow me

By Aaron Earls Writer, LifeWay Christian Resources. NASHVILLE — More than half of Americans say religious beliefs are a matter of personal opinion, not objective facts. And that’s made clear by examining the varying, and sometimes contradictory, theological doctrines they hold. The biennial State of Theology study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research explores the religious and cultural beliefs of U.S. adults. For 54 percent of Americans, theological beliefs are not a

By John Kyle Louisiana Baptist director of communications ALEXANDRIA, La. — A little more than a week after slamming the Louisiana coast, it is obvious Hurricane Laura’s 140 miles per hour, Category 4, winds considered nothing sacred, including houses of worship. Numerous reports have shed light on the hundreds of thousands of Louisianans left without power and water. Power companies have indicated it may be weeks, or longer, before power

By Carol Pipes Director of corporate communications for LifeWay NASHVILLE — During a virtual meeting on August 25, LifeWay Christian Resources trustees received an update on the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the organization and unanimously approved a $210 million budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year — 17 percent lower than the 2019-20 budget. Trustees also elected Jamie Adams as senior vice president and chief information technology officer.

By George Schroeder Baptist Press LYNCHBURG, Va. —After drama, denial and dispute, it’s official: Jerry Falwell Jr. has resigned as president of Liberty University. The school announced his departure Tuesday (Aug. 25), saying Liberty’s board of trustees had accepted his resignation. The move came amid escalating controversy over Falwell’s conduct, as well as allegations that he condoned an affair between his wife and a man he described as a family