As much as we might wish otherwise, living in the post-COVID world promises to be a pretty rough ride over the next 20 years. So buckle up. Not just because of the global impact of the pandemic itself, but because…
Biden administration skewered for keeping Trump-era cap on refugee resettlement
Immigration advocates — including numerous faith-based groups — reacted harshly to the Biden administration’s April 16 announcement that it would not, after all, raise the ceiling for admission of refugees this year. The blowback was so swift and harsh that…
Texas takes the spotlight as statehouses across the nation seek to restrict trans teens and voter access
Some Texas legislators want to outdo Georgia and Arkansas with a combination of bills restricting transgender teens and voting access for poor and minority citizens. The Texas bills — four concerning transgender health care, six concerning transgender athletes and two…
American Christianity in China also imports gender bias and Calvinism
Imagine if America’s coalition of conspiracy theorist, cowboy Christianity had colonized its way into the world of international politics and sexual abuse cover-ups under the guise of spreading the gospel. Research scholar Mary Li Ma believes this isn’t an imaginary scenario,…
Understanding human capital makes volunteer recruitment easier
This is the fourth in a series created by a partnership between Baptist News Global and the Campbell University Center for Church and Community. Each month’s columns explore one of the seven types of capital described in the Community Capitals Framework…
United Methodist leaders speak out against anti-Asian racism
Like any other American institution whose roots date back to the Revolutionary era, The United Methodist Church suffers from endemic institutional racism. Last year, leaders of the worldwide denomination declared their intention to focus on “dismantling racism” both within and…
The righteous and the wicked: The progressive Baptist quest for a new gospel
For decades, progressive white Baptists have opened leadership roles at the highest level to women and people of color. But Black Baptists have shown a greater willingness to affiliate with the conservative Southern Baptist Convention than with more moderate groups…
Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry offers a lesson on when the ‘institution’ is the church
As Bishop Curry spoke about the power of love during Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding in 2018, having recently joined the Anglican Communion myself, my heart was full. But when I watched Oprah’s interview with Harry and Meghan last week,…
Top-down schism plans ignore local United Methodist churches’ new reality
The United Methodist Church staggers toward a twice-delayed global legislative conclave that appears likely to split the 12-million-member denomination. The options available to concerned United Methodists are multiplying at the highest levels, but church life differs greatly at the grassroots…