Achieving the status of a government-backed religion usually creates a dependence on state political and financial support that erodes the ability of faith groups to attract new followers and foster participation, a new study has found. “Further, the involvement of…
Georgia representative says Christian nationalism actually is a good thing
The ever-quotable and ever-controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene has a word of encouragement for Christian nationalists: You’re the hope of salvation for America. Greene, a first-term Republican from Georgia, issued a video June 3 telling her supporters not to listen to…
Baptist missionaries exported white supremacy to Brazil alongside the gospel, historian says
The gospel Southern Baptist Convention missionaries brought to Brazil in the late 19th century contained at least as much Jim Crow as it did Jesus Christ, scholar João Chaves said during the Baptist History and Heritage Society’s second “Making Baptist…
Kenyan government silent on plans for Dabaab and Kakuma refugee camps
With about a month to the deadline issued by the Kenyan government to close the Kakuma and Dabaab refugee camps in the East African country, government agencies have gone silent on how they will make the closures happen. The two…
43 years after launching one of America’s most innovative churches, Rick and Kay Warren name their successors
Saddleback Church has operated differently than a typical Southern Baptist church from the beginning, and that tradition continues in the selection of a successor to founding pastor Rick Warren. The Southern California megachurch — the largest congregation affiliated with the…
Some action items emerge from SBC sexual abuse crisis, but is it too little and too slow?
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Sexual Abuse Task Force has issued a series of responses to the recent Guidepost Solutions investigation that range from suggestions to two action items to be considered by messengers to the SBC annual meeting this summer….
Number of displaced persons worldwide hits new peak of 100 million
The war in Ukraine has driven the number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide to a record-setting 100 million, according to the United Nations. The 90 million figure reached at the close of 2021 was quickly surpassed after Russia’s Feb. 24…
At Baylor University, the debate about LGBTQ students also is shaped by a network of churches embracing conversion therapy
While Baylor University has been in the news for its on-campus treatment of LGBTQ students, there’s another side to the story happening off campus that involves the controversial practice of conversion therapy. Sexual orientation change efforts, or conversion therapy, are…
Transitions for the week of 6-3-22
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Joshua Breslaw, to First Baptist Church, Gonzales, Texas, as pastor. He comes from the pastorate of College Heights…
West Texas Baptist university adopts new faith statement with strict emphasis on gender and marriage
Trustees of Hardin-Simmons University in West Texas have adopted a new statement of faith that focuses on “two genetic sexes” and marriage as “a life-long, covenant relationship between one genetic male and one genetic female” as articles of faith. The…
Pastors dabble in brewing and mining to survive Zimbabwe’s burning economy
Father Chukucha cuts a lone figure as he circles the withering garden of his parish in Mberengwa, one of the poorest districts of the middle of Zimbabwe. While 250 miles away in another district, Pastor Noel Fengu, a Baptist minister,…
New study documents pliable influence of partisan media
Partisan media outlets like Fox News pose a hazard to democracy by denying their viewers’ access to information detrimental to conservative candidates and causes while amplifying misinformation about their opponents, according to a study into the role of selective content…