Globally, emotions took a deep dive in 2021, surpassing negativity levels documented the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and hitting all-time lows in terms of stress, sadness and worry, a new Gallup poll shows. The June survey revealed negative…
Baylor Collaborative on Hunger proves success of summer food program, gets $5 million grant from USDA
The Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty has received nearly $5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to maintain a summer program that delivers nutritious meals to at-risk children residing in rural communities in four U.S. states. The federal…
Supreme Court’s abortion ruling ignites the center and left as single-issue voters now
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June reversal of Roe v. Wade, Democrats are significantly more likely than Republicans to say they will support only those political candidates who share their stance on abortion, according to a recent poll by Public…
White blindness is a barrier to racial justice, Boesak tells BWA
A major obstacle to racial justice and reconciliation is white blindness to the systemic nature of racism and the refusal to acknowledge and seek redemption for past and present oppression, a South African anti-apartheid activist said during the Baptist World…
Here’s why cremation is now chosen after 57% of all U.S. deaths
The ongoing surge in U.S. cremation rates can accurately be described as “stunning,” author and grief educator Harold Ivan Smith said. “When I was in mortuary school in 1966, cremation was probably done in 1% of cases,” said Smith, also…
Churches can talk about issues and advocate for voting rights without running afoul of the law, BJC leaders explain
Even in the midst of a highly charged 2020 election cycle, most American houses of worship have protected their tax-exempt status by avoiding candidate endorsements and direct involvement in political campaigns, said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee…
Scholar traces how Black churches became centers of political engagement
Black churches became centers of political engagement during the 19th century when Black Christians determined to achieve the full benefits of citizenship in U.S. society, scholar Nicole Myers Turner said during a Baptist History and Heritage Society webinar. Racial politics…
CBF joins broad coalition urging Congress to pass immigration reform this year
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has joined a coalition of business, faith, law enforcement, education and national security organizations allied to push Congress to enact compassionate and effective immigration reforms in 2022. CBF is among several new additions to the Alliance…
Want to get started reading Black authors? Here are 10 curated suggestions
Christians needn’t fear reading Black literature that bears painful witness to the historic and ongoing brutality of racism in America, author Claude Atcho said during a webinar hosted by the Equal Justice USA network for evangelicals. After all, congregations that…
Initial results of PRRI poll show CBF members score significantly lower on Racism Index than other Americans
Christians who attend Cooperative Baptist Fellowship churches are significantly less racist than most Americans and even less so than Catholics and other Protestants, according to a soon-to-be released survey conducted for the Fellowship by Public Religion Research Institute. PRRI found…
BJC luncheon highlights ongoing oppression of Native Americans
Native Americans continue to be oppressed by the Doctrine of Discovery and other entrenched, historic narratives used to rationalize the subjugation of indigenous peoples, panelists said during a Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty event in Dallas June 30. “Colonialism,…
Butler and Barr connect the dots between race and gender and patriarchy
“Race and gender and patriarchy always go together,” Beth Allison Barr said at the outset of a lively conversation with Anthea Butler during the Friends of BNG dinner June 30 in Dallas. Barr, a history professor at Baylor University and…