Brent Leatherwood has resigned as head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s policy arm after nearly four years. The agency has been a strong advocate against abortion and transgender rights while promoting religious liberty and a pro-Israel stance.
Nashville Masses are emptier as the threat of deportations looms
ICE arrested nearly 200 people as part of the early May operation. The raids — and the possibility of future crack downs — has had a chilling effect on Nashville’s Spanish-speaking parishes.
‘Where’s the meaning in everything?’ Lessons learned from a week as a Buddhist monk
For Don Srisuriyo, a Thai American from Murfreesboro, becoming a Buddhist monk was unexpectedly challenging, and changed his relationship to his heritage.
It’s not a reprint. Why Sacred Harp singers are revamping an iconic pre-Civil War hymnal
A new edition of “The Sacred Harp,” a Christian hymnal first published in 1844, is being released this year. It helps carry on the more than 180-year-old American folk singing tradition that is as much about the community as it is the music.
With a massive ark and museum, he spreads creationism a century after Scopes trial. He’s not alone
The 1925 Scopes monkey trial famously put the spotlight on evolution and appeared to mark a defeat for biblical fundamentalism. But a century later, many Americans still embrace creationism, and that’s evident at a giant replica of the biblical Noah’s Ark in Kentucky.
Southern Baptist Convention membership declines while baptisms rise
Fewer people identify as Southern Baptists, and fewer churches are a part of the Nashville-based denomination, according to an annual report.
Liquor stores and LED crosses
I spent my first few mornings in Erbil taking long walks, trying to explore my new neighborhood before the full heat of the day.
‘We are survivors’: This Palestinian cafe owner finds strength in his faith after airstrikes resume in Gaza
Last week, WPLN told you about the Muslim-owned coffee houses leading Nashville’s sober nightlife scene during, and after, Ramadan. One of them was Deir Cafe, a Palestinian-owned shop. One week later, WPLN followed back up with Deir’s owner, after the news that Israel had broken its ceasefire in Gaza.
A late-night spot for Ramadan and beyond: Nashville’s Muslim-owned coffeeshops stay open, sans alcohol
A handful of Muslim-owned shops in Nashville want to make sober nightlife cafe culture a year-round thing.
NashVillager Podcast: Fewer Christians in the Bible Belt
Is religious thinking changing in Tennessee? Plus, the local news for March 5, 2025.
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