At the height of his fame in the 1950s and ’60s, Martin Luther King Jr. waged a two-front struggle, battling segregation and racial injustice and inequality in America and drawing attention to the challenges in Africa caused by colonialism. His…
As climate changes, South Africa’s river baptisms spell danger
Climate change is intensifying river flooding across South Africa. For indigenous Christian churches that conduct unlicensed, open-river baptisms, tragedies are mounting too. Nomusa Bandile lost a teenage daughter Dec. 7 when, during an open-river baptism by an unlicensed pastor, 14…
Young adults and those who attended church infrequently before pandemic are most likely to be missing from church today
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to American religious life by accelerating ongoing downward trends in religious attendance, with the biggest decreases occurring among young adults and those with previously infrequent levels of participation, new research shows. The January survey…
Passport gets $1 million Lilly grant
Passport, a national student ministry, has received a $1 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to support The Growing Faith Initiative. The grant will expand and enhance Passport’s daily devotional site, d365.org, and allow Passport to more readily connect…
Hunger alleviation program developed at Baylor adopted as federal program
A summer meals program created by the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty has transitioned from a demonstration project into a full-blown federal strategy to combat childhood hunger. Meals-To-You was included in the 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed into law…
FDA approval for pharmacies dispensing abortion pills changes the debate
The U.S. Food Drug Administration last week lifted regulations on abortion drugs, allowing pharmacists to dispense some medication with prescriptions, prompting adjustments at some faith-based abortion groups. Some groups that oppose abortion rights filed lawsuits and called on Christians to…
Thanks for visiting the border, but we’ve got some concerns, evangelical immigrant advocates tell Biden
Thanks for what you’re doing, but we’ve got some serious concerns about some of your other policies, members of the Evangelical Immigration Table wrote to President Joe Biden and members of Congress Jan. 10. The group of evangelical immigrant advocates…
New report warns about coercion of religion by Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party uses government-sanctioned faith organizations to control institutionalized religion and to force religious groups to promote the political aims of the state, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a new report about religion in…
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…
Baptists make up 12.5% of the new Congress, while 28% are Catholic
There are more Baptists in the 118th United States Congress than any other Protestant denomination, but Catholics and generic Protestants take the top faith spots. An analysis of the newly seated Congress by Pew Research finds the 534 members of…
Sunrise vigil features prayers to commemorate January 6 anniversary
Christian leaders gathered for a sunrise prayer vigil at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the 2021 insurrection and to seek divine guidance and protection in the struggle against the ideology of Christian nationalism. Event…
Lilly Endowment launches initiative to strengthen Christian preaching
The Lilly Endowment has made the first 32 grants in a new project to “help Christian pastors strengthen their abilities to proclaim the gospel in more engaging and effective ways.” A news release from the Indianapolis-based endowment explained: “The ultimate…