“Transnational repression” is the emerging term for an insidious and growing form of global religious, political and ethnic persecution that has U.S., European and other governments reeling. The expression refers to the actions of foreign countries to intimidate, kidnap and…
What’s a Baptist to think of the coronation of Charles III?
There are about 2,600 Baptist churches scattered throughout the United Kingdom. The majority (2,000) are in England, where Baptist forebear Thomas Helwys established the first Baptist church on British soil. Another 300 are in Wales, 200 in Scotland, and the…
There’s now yet another option for churches leaving the UMC
There’s yet another new option for churches departing The United Methodist Church. But this new model is more complicated — and requires a new vocabulary — than even the UMC or its breakaway group. the Global Methodist Church. Launched by…
Faced with a bomb threat, Virginia church held a picnic
What someone meant for evil, a Virginia Baptist church turned to good last weekend. In the early morning hours of Thursday, May 4, the Williamsburg, Va., Police Department received a phone call making a threat to bomb Williamsburg Baptist Church…
On proposed constitutional amendment, SBC president is a ‘yes, and’
The Southern Baptist Convention’s constitution has “structural problems” that are highlighted by a current effort to amend the governing rules to expel churches with women serving as pastors, SBC President Bart Barber said May 10. Barber, a pastor in a…
In SBC annual statistics, even the good news isn’t that good
After plunging due to COVID closures, baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention rose again last year but remained well below 2019 levels — a year in which baptisms continued a decline that started in 1999. That’s the good news in…
Immigration advocates aren’t buying what Biden administration is selling
The Biden administration said its new travel ban on asylum seekers will expand the number of legal pathways for migrants seeking refuge at the U.S. southern border, but immigration advocates held a virtual press conference May 10 to say they…
Betty Law was a Baptist missions pioneer, serving both SBC and CBF
Betty Law, a pioneering missionary who played pivotal roles in both the Southern Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, died April 16 in Fort Worth, Texas. At the time of her retirement from what was then known as the…
Transitions for the week of 5-12-23
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Marty Akins, to First Baptist Church, Ballinger, Texas, as pastor. Josh Beeler, to Madison Heights (Va.) Baptist Church,…
Florida Baptist Convention is victim of financial fraud
The Florida Baptist Convention has been the victim of financial fraud, its leaders said in a public statement May 10. The exact nature of the fraud and the amount of money involved were not disclosed. Baptist News Global asked an…
Texas Ten Commandments bill is a bad idea, Tyler and Hollman warn
Legislation that would require posting the Ten Commandments in every Texas public school classroom has gone largely unnoticed nationally, but it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, its leaders said recently. Senate Bill 1515 “hasn’t…
These Christians are praying for an end to the death penalty
Death penalty abolitionists are turning to organized prayer in the national movement to end state and federal capital punishment. The approach began with a virtual gathering of faith and social justice leaders May 4 — the National Day of Prayer…