Poverty fell steeply among immigrants in the U.S. after the Great Recession and even further during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report by the Migration Policy Institute. The study analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data to measure the way…
Transitions for the week of 6-9-23
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Lisa Adams, to Bonsack Baptist Church, Roanoke, Va., as director of Christian education, effective in August. Charlie Barganier,…
Mike Stone has an unlikely nominator for his SBC presidential run
A Florida pastor who had to drop out of the race for Southern Baptist Convention president last year because of accusations brought against him from the most conservative faction of the denomination now will nominate this year’s conservative standard bearer…
Southwestern trustees release 20 years of financials that show devastating decline began under Patterson
Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary have released 20 years of audited financial records — more than any Southern Baptist Convention entity has done — documenting a devastating pattern of overspending while enrollment plummeted. The spending spree began with former…
On migrant crisis, the U.S. and UK governments share a controversial tactic in common
The United States practice of paying Mexico millions of dollars to keep asylum-seeking immigrants from crossing the southern border is not unique. The United Kingdom does something similar in partnership with Rwanda. In the U.S., the Biden administration has been…
27% of Americans are still watching religious services online
While church attendance in America has declined slightly over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, how people attend religious services appears to have stabilized, according to Pew Research Center. “As the coronavirus pandemic winds down, about a quarter of Americans…
‘Leaders are formed in the leading,’ Bolsinger advises pastors
Clergy become transformational leaders by experiencing the disappointment, loss and fear congregations exhibit when faced with innovative change, church coach and author Tod Bolsinger said. “Leaders aren’t formed and then get called into leadership. Leaders are formed in the leading,…
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…
One year after Roe was overturned, states have a ‘hodgepodge of laws’
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24, 2022, ending half a century of broad abortion access. Since then, the battles have moved to the states, creating a multi-hued map one state official called a “hodgepodge of…
Shurden Lecture takes on the ‘myth of American chosenness’
Modern American Christian nationalists stand apart from their predecessors who at least claimed some degree of respect for religious freedom and other values enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, a religion scholar said. Catherine Brekus, professor of the history of religion…
What happens when Tom Ascol finds Ted Cruz to be too liberal and quotes Leviticus 20:13?
When a prominent Southern Baptist pastor quotes Levitical law prescribing the death penalty for participants in gay sex, should that be interpreted as calling for capital punishment for gay people in America today? Apparently not, according to Florida pastor Tom…
Three billboards outside Nashville, Tennessee
During most trips down the interstate, drivers mindlessly zoom past billboards bombarding them with a blur of messages on their way to wherever they’re going. But every once in a while, travelers are confronted with a message about a different…