The anti-death penalty movement in Ohio is gaining traction with conservative support and leadership amidst a national rise in Republican opposition to capital punishment. Eight states currently have death penalty repeal bills sponsored by Republicans, according to Conservatives Concerned About…
Mercer scholars explain the immense danger of Putin’s power play in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine has surprised some Western observers who previously considered the Russian president to be a pragmatic realist, even if an authoritarian one, said a Mercer University professor of Russian and Soviet history. “I never considered…
600 Ukrainian Baptist churches actively responding to humanitarian need
Baptist churches in Ukraine are providing around-the-clock humanitarian relief in increasingly difficult circumstances as Russia’s offensive widens, the European Baptist Federation said in a March 8 situation report. “Ukrainian Baptists continue to respond to the war in their country. Churches…
30 years later, North Carolina Baptist church recalls its journey to affirm same-sex unions
The months preceding Pullen Memorial Baptist Church’s historic vote to perform same-sex blessings and to officially become a welcoming and affirming congregation were, at times, dark and turbulent ones, former Pullen pastor Mahan Siler recalled during the congregation’s 30-year celebration…
CBF field personnel serving in Kyiv happened to be on leave in the U.S., which is extending their ability to help
Offering prayer and encouragement via smartphone to terrified Ukrainians under Russian attack has become the reality for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Mina and Gennady Podgaisky. “Last night I was giving counseling at 3 in the morning to people in…
Religious liberty in Ukraine is ‘doomed’ if Russian invasion succeeds
Religious liberty in Ukraine is doomed if Russian invaders defeat the Eastern European nation that has become a bastion of church-state separation among former Soviet republics. That was the informed opinion expressed by two international religious freedom experts during a…
New coalition of business, civic and religious groups hopes to pressure Congress to act on immigration
More than 30 American business, civic, immigrant rights and religious organizations announced the formation of a coalition designed to pressure Congress and the White House to enact border security and immigration reforms in 2022. The Alliance for a New Immigration…
Baptists in countries bordering Ukraine open their doors to fleeing refugees
The Ukrainian Baptist Union has evacuated its headquarters in Kyiv as Russian artillery and airstrikes continue to pound the capital city and as Baptist groups in neighboring countries scramble to accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees escaping the violence, according…
In Hawaii, faith groups sound an alarm about endangered water supply
The U.S. Navy in Hawaii faces stiff opposition from faith communities, environmentalists and state and federal legislators seeking the closure of subterranean fuel tanks that contaminated the water supply of nearly 100,000 military and civilian residents on Oahu late last…
Veterans join religious and human rights groups to call for permanent status for Afghan refugees
Religious, human rights and veterans’ groups are stepping up pressure on Congress to provide a pathway to legal, permanent status for tens of thousands of Afghan refugees evacuated to the U.S. last year. Most of those who escaped the fall…
White House event celebrates the diversity of Black America
The assumption that enslaved Africans encountered authentic faith only upon their arrival in America is a stereotype that needs to end, Yolanda Pierce, dean of the Howard University School of Divinity, said during a Feb. 23 Black History Month webinar….
For the first time, CPAC will feature a debate on the death penalty
Death penalty opponents are welcoming news that capital punishment will be debated today during the Feb. 24-27 gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Fla. “A death penalty discussion at CPAC is further evidence that conservatives are increasingly…