Posts published in “Explore the Bible”

Explore the Bible: January 18

January 12, 2026

Every Life Valued • Matthew 8:1-4, 14-17; 9:1-8 By Carl M. White Attorney Kenneth Feinberg was the Special Master appointed to determine the distribution of…

Explore the Bible: January 11

Explore the Bible: January 11

January 6, 2026

Explore the Bible: January 4

Explore the Bible: January 4

December 30, 2025

Explore the Bible: December 28

Explore the Bible: December 28

December 22, 2025

Explore the Bible: December 21

Explore the Bible: December 21

December 16, 2025

Tennessee Supreme Court
hears defamation case
against SBC, others
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Tennessee Supreme Court justices sought clarity regarding the church autonomy doctrine Jan. 8 in a case focused on the Southern Baptist Convention’s protocols to address claims of sexual abuse. Attorneys for Preston Garner, who has brought a defamation lawsuit against the SBC and others, asserted that a letter sent in the early days of 2023 stemming from a report to the SBC abuse hotline led to Garner’s dismissal at a Christian school and the simultaneous withdrawal of a job offer at a church. Representation for the defendants said the matter was an example of “internal governance." “Religious bodies have religious ways of approaching [these matters],” said Becket attorney Daniel Blomberg, representing the SBC et. al. “… That’s obviously the case here, where the religious polity really plays a significant role in how the convention itself can interact with its member churches.” Matt Rice, solicitor general for the State of Tennessee, spoke on the matter of church autonomy. “The very process of requiring religious institutions to engage in litigation over matters of their faith doctrine and internal governance, itself, causes a constitutional harm under the religion clauses,” he said. “We think this court should recognize as much.”