An investigation into how leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have dealt with sexual abuse by clergy has cost more than $12 million over the past three years, causing the nation’s largest Protestant denomination to put its Nashville, Tennessee, headquarters up for sale, the SBC’s Executive Committee announced on Tuesday (Sept. 17). (Smietana, Religion News Service)
Read MoreHigh-ranking members of a group that a judge has previously termed a “cult” were convicted Monday of taking children from their parents and forcing them into unpaid labor, squalid living conditions and disciplinary beatings. (Brasch, The Washington Post)
Read MoreThe new accounts, automatically assigned to any new users under the age of 18, place limits on what users can see, who can message and interact with them, and enable parents to exercise more control over their teens' social media use. (Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today)
Read MoreKnisley was inspired to start offering ghost-hunting kits at CCPL after seeing one on display at the Ohio Library Council Convention and Expo in 2022. As it happened, she was already familiar with the kits’ technology, thanks to her 23-year-old daughter, who had introduced her to Ghost Files and similar shows. (Ford, American Libraries)
Read MoreTrustees for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee approved Tuesday (Sept. 17) a recommendation to create a department within the EC to assist churches in the area of sexual abuse prevention and response. (Barkley, Baptist Press)
Read MoreAs the idea of incorporating the Bible into classrooms gains traction, concerns about the mission of public schools — and differences across the faith — have led even some conservative Christians to push back. (Closson, The New York Times)
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