Two days before Christmas, President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 of the 40 inmates remaining on federal Death Row. The action follows an organized campaign by death penalty opponents — including some evangelicals — asking Biden to…
Understanding Christmas traditions is a matter of time
Christmas and New Year’s are fascinating seasons for scholars into temporal studies, the emerging academic field concerned with the ways humans understand time, author and cultural historian Alexis McCrossen said. “Holidays are special moments in time and special moments on…
3 killed as Methodist violence flares in Nigeria
Three United Methodists were killed Dec. 15 when a United Methodist Church in northeast Nigeria was attacked allegedly by supporters of the breakaway Global Methodist Church. A few days prior to the attack, a dissident organization that has promoted the…
Pew study documents combination of religious repressions in some countries
Nations with governments highly repressive of certain religious groups usually have societies equally antagonistic toward religious minorities, new research shows. “Government restrictions and social hostilities tend to go hand in hand,” Pew Research Center says in its latest report on…
White House plan to combat Islamophobia draws mixed reviews
A new White House strategy for combating anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hatred has received differing reactions from U.S. faith groups and left some wondering if the plan will survive the incoming Trump administration. Released Dec. 12, the 67-page blueprint outlines federal,…
In three-hour interview, Mohler says he ‘hopes and prays’ Jimmy Carter is born again
Al Mohler has to “hope and pray” Jimmy Carter is a born-again Christian, he told a conservative podcaster in a wide-ranging interview. But the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary had no qualms about voting for Donald Trump for U.S….
Meet the couple behind the David Platt documentary
When Jeremiah and Laura Burke produced their documentary about Pastor David Platt, they never imagined it would reach a global audience. Released in fall 2023, the film has garnered more than 100,000 views on Conversations that Matter alone, with additional…
American views on illegal immigrants aren’t as clear cut as MAGA thinks
Attitudes toward unauthorized immigrants and the specter of mass deportation by the Trump administration are complicated, according to recent surveys. Recent polling by Pew Research Center finds majorities of Americans expressing concern about the number of undocumented immigrants in the…
Burge: Evangelicals remain outliers in opposing both homosexuality and same-sex marriage
Evangelical Christians remain the lone outliers among Americans opposing both homosexual practice and same-sex marriage, according to social scientist Ryan Burge. In a Dec. 16 post on his “Graphs About Religion” Substack, Burge explores the question of whether there are…
Ministry jobs and more
Baptist News Global provides a free listing of ministry-related jobs for Baptist churches, theological institutions and organizations across the United States. Each free posting is for 30 days and is limited to 150 words. Postings may be extended another 30…
75-week sermon series shows the Bible as ‘One Story’
A Baptist church in Franklin, Va., has embarked on a 75-week sermon series designed to show the Bible is more than a collection of stand-alone books in the Old and New testaments. “One of the things I want to come…
PRRI survey finds ‘stark’ voter divides along religious lines
Race, religion and Christian nationalism were among the top influencers of presidential voting in the 2024 election, according to new polling by Public Religion Research Institute. Half of all U.S. voters chose Republican Donald Trump on Election Day compared to…