In a sermon preached Sunday, April 3, Southern Baptist Convention presidential nominee Willy Rice publicly addressed the controversy that followed his April 1 announcement that his Florida church had removed one of its deacons after a pastor from another state…
SBC presidential candidate Willy Rice removes deacon over past ‘abusive’ behavior
In a video statement released April 1, Southern Baptist Convention presidential candidate Willy Rice acknowledged that a deacon has been removed from service in his church because the man “committed a sexual sin that could also be described as abusive”…
Immigration advocates praise rumored end to Title 42 but say the end should come today
It has been a busy week for U.S. immigration policy, with a flurry of announcements ranging from new federal efforts to streamline asylum cases and to launching more expansive and humane programs in response to anticipated surges in migrant encounters…
If you love your party more than your state, go do something else, Andy Stanley tells Georgia legislators
The Georgia House of Representatives invited megachurch pastor Andy Stanley to speak to them as chaplain of the day March 15, and the message he dropped on them could have come from an Old Testament prophet. Stanley, who has been…
Baptist peacemaker says people of faith can make a difference in Ukraine
People of faith could play an important role in resolving the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, a Baptist author and peacemaker said. “I have seen that mediation can be stimulated by non-governmental actors, including religious people. I have seen…
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…
Transitions for the week of 4-1-22
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Allison Benfield, to Providence Baptist Church, Charleston, S.C., as associate pastor, effective April 4. She comes from St….
Baptist History and Heritage Society receives grant, will launch new webinar series
The Baptist History and Heritage Society has received a $34,595 grant to promote public engagement with recent historical scholarship on Baptists in the United States. The grant is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities and its Sustaining…
With pending return of Benin Bronzes, the Smithsonian approaches a more modern ethical standard
Since becoming king of the Benin kingdom in southern Nigeria, Eheneden Erediauwa has embarked on a vigorous campaign to retrieve many of the kingdom’s artworks, lost or looted from the royal palace over the past century and a half, and…
America will be better as gumbo than a melting pot, scholar says
Americans can undermine white supremacy and Christian nationalism by emulating the values and actions of the Good Samaritan, Jonathan C. “Jay” Augustine said March 29 to open the Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation…
In water-scarce Zimbabwe, free Muslim water wells are the ‘kiss of life’
Decades of water corruption, mismanagement and climate change mean Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, is one of Africa’s thirstiest cities. In some neighborhoods, Muslim families, building on the altruism of their faith, are erecting free, clean public water wells on…
When a child comes out, every family’s journey is different, professor says
Healthy parental responses to a child coming out as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender cannot be reduced to a one-size-fits-all formula, said one of the nation’s leading Christian counselors and scholars focused on sexual identity. “There is no one family…