People of faith must promote a vision of peace if American democracy is to be protected from the forces that stormed the U.S. Capitol in 2021, urged Jeffrey Haggray, executive director of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies. “We…
New study documents how race influenced congregational reactions to COVID challenges
COVID hit Black congregations especially hard in the pocketbook, pew and pulpit. But they have managed to outdo white churches in promoting wellness and vaccines, according to a new report by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Black congregations also…
BJC essay contest expands to allow TikTok submissions
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty will expand its annual scholarship contest this year to include TikTok-style video submissions in addition to traditional written essays that explore the link between Christian nationalism and book bans. “It’s critical for us to…
This San Antonio bookshop owner hopes to bring faith conversations off the pages to real life
Jillian Mason Shannon has had such great experiences in church that she wanted to pass her love of community and theology along to those who have been estranged from Christianity but remain intellectually and spiritually curious. “I have only had…
Baptist scholar speaking and writing about her experience in psychedelics trials
When Baptist scholar Jaime Clark-Soles agreed to participate in a 2017 Johns Hopkins University study on the effects of psychedelics on spirituality, her friends and colleagues didn’t have the same vision she did. “I got, ‘Don’t do it,’ ‘It’s terrible,’…
Three educators push back against Florida law targeting trans and nonbinary teachers
Three educators have filed suit against Florida over a 2023 law permitting the decertification and termination of nonbinary and transgender teachers who use preferred pronouns and titles in the performance of their jobs. The Southern Poverty Law Center and its…
Baptist educator receives Order of the Rising Sun from Japanese government
Decades in Japan revealed Gary Barkley’s approach to evangelism was better suited for Japanese culture than for the Southern Baptist Convention, which appointed him as a teaching missionary to the island nation in 1984. “I always felt it was my…
Top news stories in 2023 were about Charles Stanley, women in ministry and fracturing of UMC
A 2022 story about the wealth of televangelist Charles Stanley drew more readership than any other Baptist News Global news article this year — outpacing even the later story of his death. Women in ministry, including the expulsion of Rick…
Most-read analysis pieces addressed patriarchy, complementarianism, LGBTQ inclusion and Christian nationalism
The most-read Baptist News Global analysis pieces in 2023 focused on patriarchy and complementarianism, LGBTQ inclusion, fundamentalism and Christian nationalism. Personalities like Amy Grant, Greg Locke, John MacArthur, Rick Warren and Karen Swallow Prior were among the leading personalities featured…