The COVID-19 pandemic has provided “the clearest possible illustration of our interdependence,” Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said this week. For example, “COVID has exacerbated suffering in war zones. Climate change has marginalized the suffering even further, forcing people to…
SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force has lost one-third of its time to delays, but now the work may begin
Nearly four months after messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting overwhelmingly approved appointment of a Sexual Abuse Task Force, the work can begin, although the panel has lost fully one-third of its allocated time before a report is…
Panelists reflect on their experiences as female ministers influenced by Hispanic and Latin American culture
Growing up female in a Hispanic Baptist family and community influenced by white Texas culture exposed Alyssa Aldape to the influences of colonialism, race and sexism on her faith and identity, she said during a recent webinar hosted by Baptist…
Although still a problem, people of faith experienced less mistreatment in latest global data
People and organizations of faith encountered less overall resentment and mistreatment globally in 2019 than in the previous decade, according to Pew’s 12th annual survey on global restrictions of religion. The research found that 43 countries (22% of all those…
SBC sexual abuse task force believes Executive Committee lawyers intend to ‘fight over every document’ needed for the investigation
Lawyers for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee have indicated they will “fight over every document” requested in the sexual abuse investigation demanded by messengers to the SBC annual meeting, according to the Sexual Abuse Task Force. The already intense…
Attorney and author believes death penalty is wrong, even for the guilty
Death penalty opponents must not shrink from challenging capital punishment even for those suspects factually guilty of committing heinous crimes, says attorney Donald Cameron Clark Jr. “To defend against the death penalty is not to be dismissive of crime. It’s…
Secretary of Homeland Security takes questions for an hour rather than giving a speech
More astounding than the dysfunction of the U.S. immigration system is that no one can figure out how to restore it to working order, a top Biden administration official said. “It is just stunning how there is unanimity with respect…
Transitions for the week of 10-1-21
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Paul Batson, to Jersey Baptist Church, Linwood, N.C., as interim pastor. Jeanne H. Baucom, to First Baptist Church,…
New details emerge about how SBC Executive Committee wants to control the sexual abuse investigation, as outrage mounts among other Southern Baptist leaders
Less than a day after the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee again declined to follow the explicit request of convention messengers, the resulting governance meltdown spread to the leadership of other agencies who fear they will lose funding from SBC…
BNG joins Respite for Revs initiative to aid clergy who need a break
Baptist News Global has joined four other Baptist organizations in a clergy-support initiative called Respite for Revs. Leaders of the five well-known entities are offering their services at no charge to fill in for pastors who need to take an…
‘We may be the asylum seekers of tomorrow’
Natural disasters sparked by worsening global climate change could lead Americans who are hostile toward refugees and migrants to embrace more compassionate attitudes on immigration, an asylum advocate believes. Swapna Reddy, co-founder and co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy…
SBC Executive Committee declines for a second time to comply with will of convention messengers on sexual abuse investigation
For the second time in a week, members of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee have defied the will of the SBC in annual session — previously considered the final authority in governance — by refusing to waive attorney-client privilege…