On May 14, the Baylor University board of regents released a statement on human sexuality and identity. In it, the regents affirmed the dignity of all students “regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” committed to providing a supportive educational…
Jeffress warns parents not to send their kids to Baylor’s ‘infidels’
As news of Baylor University’s “possible” sanction of a campus group for LGBTQ students spread across the nation, the Texas Baptist school continued to be criticized from both sides of the debate. The high-profile critique of the Waco, Texas, school…
Baylor walks the line on LGBTQ student group as critics pounce from the right
Buried 14 paragraphs into a lengthy news release about the spring Baylor board of regents meeting was a notice of approval for “guiding principles” of “caring for all students, including LGBTQ students.” The news didn’t stay buried for long, however,…
Methodists still follow John Wesley’s rules — mostly
Many of today’s United Methodists may not recognize it, but they’re still following the framework of Christian discipleship their founder John Wesley laid down for his “united societies” in the 18th century. The framework, known as “The General Rules,” comprises…
Apartheid in Palestine and a Christ who stands on the other side of the wall
Today, the Holy Land burns. The latest round of evictions of Palestinians from their homes in favor of the illegal Israeli settlement of the Occupied Territories predictably has led to violence which has, equally predictably, spiraled into death and destruction…
Now there appear to be three paths for once-united Methodists
For more than half a century, leaders of The United Methodist Church have seen the denomination as a “big tent,” a place where different theological and ecclesiastical identities could co-exist and perhaps even co-mingle as a single entity. Now that…
Faith leaders call on Americans to ‘welcome the stranger’ as Biden administration announces new refugee admissions cap
The Biden administration has announced it will raise the refugee admissions cap to 62,500 for the current fiscal year and to 125,000 for the 2022 fiscal year. This is a welcome and much-needed step as it follows a months-long delay…
On social capital, churches often do one part well and one part not well
This is the fifth 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 developed by…
Al Mohler’s curious defense of conversion therapy
Conversion therapy (also known as reparative therapy) is rooted in the idea that same-sex attraction is a sickness that can be healed. Throughout most of the 20th century, psychoanalytic and behavioral psychologists had different ways of explaining same-sex attraction, but…
Voting rights and the ninth commandment
It shouldn’t feel so hard to write about voting rights in a way that will not offend partisan sensibilities. It didn’t used to be this way. In 2006, Congress reauthorized the 1965 Voting Rights Act with a unanimous vote in…
Interpreting the data: Why are some Christians getting vaccinated and others aren’t?
It is well-documented by now that white evangelical Christians are among the largest groups resisting vaccination against COVID-19. But the reason for this might not actually be rooted in vaccine denial, according a new analysis in The Atlantic. “The pattern…
Dissident Episcopalians awarded $100 million worth of property as U.S. Supreme Court declines to take up Fort Worth case
In a case little heralded outside North Texas and outside Episcopal Church insiders, the United States Supreme Court in February opened the door for more litigation nationwide over disputed church property as churches split over social issues such as women…