The Daniel Vestal attending this week’s Cooperative Baptist Fellowship gathering in Dallas is in some ways a very different Christian than he was the first — or even most recent — time he attended a general assembly. That’s because the…
Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say
Americans who believe gun ownership is a God-given right and that the United States should be an officially Christian nation are among the most aggressive opponents of common-sense limits on firearms, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman said in a recent…
U.S. State Department calls out Russia, China, Afghanistan, Myanmar for extreme religious freedom abuses
Its continuing domestic crackdowns on minority religious groups and its invasion of Ukraine have solidified Russia’s status as one of the world’s leading violators of religious freedom, U.S. officials announced this month. “Following its designation as a Country of Particular…
When a Mexican cartel kidnapped a Baptist pastor, they got more than they bargained for
A Mexican cartel got more than it bargained for earlier this month by kidnapping Lorenzo Ortiz, an American pastor who operates shelters for asylum seekers and other migrants south of the U.S.-Mexico border. His abduction at 6 p.m. June 2…
Annual report on Baptist women in ministry finds some gains but serious losses due to COVID
Women in ministry continue to feel blocked in their callings and ignored in their ministry settings because they are female, according to an annual report released June 21 by Baptist Women in Ministry. “The State of Women in Baptist Life,”…
American support for abortion rights at highest level since 1995, Gallup says
The leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade has galvanized greater pro-choice identification among American voters and intensified explicit support for legal abortion, according to polling conducted by Gallup. The survey of 1,007 U.S. adults…
Author explores contradiction of evangelical support for prison ministry and tough-on-crime laws at same time
It’s hardly surprising that evangelicals have a passion for jail and prison ministries in order to bring comfort and conversion to the incarcerated, historian Aaron Griffith noted during a recent webinar hosted by the Equal Justice USA Evangelical Network. But…
Churches in Russian-occupied sections of Ukraine face desperate conditions
Baptist churches in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine face increasingly desperate humanitarian conditions while responding with increasingly creative physical and spiritual outreach efforts, the European Baptist Federation said in its most recent warzone communique. The situation report was released just days…
Religious Liberty Council elects two BJC board members
Members of the Religious Liberty Council on June 15 elected two candidates to serve as representatives on the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty board of directors and re-elected three already serving on the board. The council, which is one…