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…
Haitians at the border represent a humanitarian crisis, not a security crisis, evangelical leaders say
Americans worried about border security should look beyond the popular-but-false portrayal of migrants as invaders and seek ways to help those in troubled nations not need to become immigrants in the first place. That’s the message of two evangelical leaders…
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…
Social work leader Diana Garland’s legacy steers her children toward justice and mercy
Note: This story includes content about sexual abuse. Siblings Sarah and John Garland share an intangible inheritance from their late mother that transcends kinship. Sarah, a journalist, and John, a pastor, say their mother, Diana Garland, a Baptist social work…
As Texas becomes first state to make prostitution a felony, Houston officials crack down on a notorious roadway known as The Track
While much of the nation’s attention has been focused on the controversial new abortion law in Texas, a lesser-known law has been implemented to further criminalize what has been called the world’s oldest profession. That much became obvious to Nnamdi…
How did an openly queer artist climb to No. 1 on the Christian music charts?
The openly queer Christian artist Semler was elated to report the breaking news that the parking attendant at a Switchfoot concert supports gay rights. And that wouldn’t be the only surprise of the night. As they drove to their parking space, Semler…
Refugee agencies praise Biden’s increase in admissions cap but call for greater infrastructure to make the goal possible
Refugee agencies praised the Biden administration’s decision to hike the refugee resettlement cap to 125,000 from 62,500 beginning in October, but added the higher allowance will do little good without assistance in rapidly rebuilding capacity lost during the Trump presidency….