Nearly 70% of Americans favor allowing certain categories of Afghan refugees, including those who worked for coalition forces in Afghanistan, into the United States because “we owe them,” according to a survey released this month. That support includes 64% of…
Want to help slow immigration to the U.S.? Address global hunger
Policies promoting global economic and food security will do far more to stem the tide of immigration than efforts to tighten borders and expel migrants, the world’s top anti-hunger official said during a Sept. 10 conference at Baylor University. “People…
9/11 was a day of dark despair but also multicultural unity
Serving amid the chaos and anguish of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks was more about ministers and congregations living into callings than it was about summoning great courage, said David Waugh, who was pastor of Metro Baptist Church in…
Pandemic is putting the nail in the decline of church construction
Decades-long declines in faith affiliation coupled with the pandemic-inspired evolution of online church services are contributing to a huge downturn in religious facility construction in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, total spending on the construction of…
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by tragic world events, but faith demands action, speakers say
Bewilderment and apathy are predicable responses to the news of one global disaster after another, but they are no excuse for inaction on the part of Christians and church communities, a series of speakers said during a call to action…
Gallup documents a 34-point gap between Republicans and Democrats on trusting science
A new Gallup survey documents a significant decline in the trust of science among Republicans over the past four decades, a downward trend matched by religious conservatives’ embrace of creationism and rejection of climate change. And all this has been…
Supporting the influx of Afghan refugees is bringing divided Americans together
American religious groups, civic associations, businesses and even neighborhoods are enthusiastically responding to pleas to aid tens of thousands of Afghan refugees in need of rapid resettlement across the nation. Officials who oversee refugee resettlement agencies and the leaders of…
Reading good literature can develop skills in empathy and compassion, professor says
Reading literature can help Christians develop the Christ-like empathy needed to bring more compassion and healing to a divided world, according to author and scholar Karen Swallow Prior. The Southern Baptist seminary professor spoke during a Sept. 1 webinar examining…
Negative emotions increased worldwide in 2020, and not just because of COVID
New research shows that 2020 gave much of the world’s population a whole lot more to frown about, and not only because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 Gallup “Global Emotions” survey, which tracks negative and positive experiences, reports that…
After Hurricane Ida, CBF churches urged to prepare to help when the time is right
Ministers and congregations eager to provide material assistance to Louisiana and Mississippi residents affected by Hurricane Ida are mostly going to have to wait before taking action, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship leaders and ministers said during an Aug. 30 Zoom call….
Panelists describe better alternatives to ‘hit-and-run’ evangelism
Diogo Carvalho’s initial foray into evangelism was motivated by an emphasis on saving souls from hell and counting converts. “It was hit-and-run evangelism. I would approach someone in the streets, speak with them five minutes and let them go,” the…
Churches urged to get ready to welcome Afghan refugees
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel across the U.S. are preparing partner networks and local congregations for the expected arrival of Afghan refugees attempting to flee as the withdrawal of American forces continues. “We expect a huge influx all over the…