The most conservative wing of the Southern Baptist Convention bypassed the denominational news service in favor of a conservative political outlet March 22 to announce its slate of two candidates for office when the SBC gathers this June. As if…
BJC report on Christian nationalism draws Congressional notice
Documentation on Christian nationalism produced by Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has drawn the attention of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, a group that includes Democratic House members Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Zoe Lofgren of California…
Randall Lolley, key figure in resisting SBC’s conservative shift, dies at 90
Editor’s note: This story will be updated as new information becomes available. Randall Lolley, one of the pivotal figures in the late-20th-century schism in the Southern Baptist Convention and an early leader in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, died March 21…
Two key developments in voting rights rulings in Arkansas
Arkansas now finds itself at the center of the nation’s debate over what’s “election integrity” and what’s “voter suppression.” And a Baptist judge is one of the key players. Arkansas Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen (who also is a BNG columnist)…
Latest PRRI data show growing gap between white evangelicals and other Americans over same-sex marriage and legal protections for LGBTQ people
While the same-sex marriage now is the law of the land in the United States, white evangelical Christians remain distinct outliers among all Americans in accepting that reality. This finding from Public Religion Research Institute comes amid a backdrop in…
A new scholarship for students who advocate care and justice for LGBTQ persons garnered the most support on Baylor Giving Day
While Baylor University regents and administrators continue to walk a tightrope over LGBTQ inclusion, rank-and-file donors made their voices heard on the university’s annual Baylor Giving Day March 16. The event’s leaderboard shows the new Paul Eddie Dwyer Endowed Scholarship…
‘The city is wiped off the face of the earth’
“The city is simply wiped off the face of the earth. It is completely destroyed. There is no electricity, all the wires are on the ground. There is no gas, as the gas pipeline is blown up. We have a…
As a pastor serves bread to the elderly in Ukraine, he prays to retain his humanity
As Ukrainian theologian and pastor Fyodor Raychynets serves bread to the elderly imprisoned in bomb shelters, his prayer is to retain his humanity. “I have to remind myself on a daily basis that we are humans and we are —…
Half of U.S. congregations led by solo pastor but that’s not what most churchgoers experience
The iconic Americana image of a solo pastor faithfully tending the flock of a local congregation remains a reality for more than half of U.S. congregations, but that is not the reality most American churchgoers experience. Combined with the report…