A pastor who called out the Southern Baptist Convention for racism two years ago has stepped down from his Atlanta pastorate, saying his gifts for church starting do not translate to leading a larger congregation. John Onwuchekwa made headlines in…
Year in review: Practical helps for clergy and lay leaders
Clergy and church lay leaders make up an important subset of BNG’s regular readers, and our content reflects this as we often present articles addressing the inner workings of church life. These include both news articles and opinion pieces written…
10 articles on social justice you might have missed this year
Sometimes, we publish articles that are really good but draw oddly insufficient readership. Usually, I chalk this up to the whims of Facebook and Google algorithms. But as an editor and writer who is a campaigner for justice at heart,…
Supreme Court grants Title 42 another stay of execution
Title 42 is a “temporary” policy that will not die. And now the United States Supreme Court has given it a further stay of execution, to the delight of anti-immigration Republicans and to the dismay of those who work with…
How to show Greg Abbott and other Grinches the true spirit of Christmas
The governor of the state where I live proved himself to be a Grinch of the first order Christmas Eve — and apparently a coward too. Three busloads of migrants were delivered outside the door of Vice President Kamala Harris’…
Oklahoma could have nation’s first publicly funded Catholic charter schools
A Catholic charter school funded by taxpayer dollars is likely coming to Oklahoma soon, based on a recent ruling of the state’s outing attorney general, with support from the re-elected governor and newly elected state superintendent of public education. For…
Do you see what I see? Lots of missing church members on Christmas Eve
Have I told you the story of the funeral I officiated for a 93-year-old woman who had been a faithful member of a Baptist church all her life but had no relation to a church or a minister to lead…
4 in 10 Americans believe we are living in the end times
Evangelical Christianity is built on the ever-present possibility of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This belief permeates sermons and songs alike and has spawned a cottage industry of books and movies. Talk of the “end times” often is used…
Pioneering missionary journalist Craig Bird dies in Texas
Baptist journalist and educator Craig Bird died Dec. 12 at age 73 due to complications from a fall he experienced the week before, according to his family. Bird, who was born in Arkansas on Oct. 4, 1949, to Clyde and C.W….