More than 1,500 interfaith leaders charged President-elect Donald Trump with building a “cabinet of bigotry” in an online petition released Nov. 22. About 40 of the signers identify as Baptist, with affiliations including the Alliance of Baptists, the American Baptist…
BWA head announces plans to retire
Neville Callam, ninth general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance and the first non-white to head the global alliance of Baptist conventions and unions founded in 1905, has announced plans to retire at the end of 2017. Policies of the organization…
Missionary uses partnership to fight poverty in rural Kentucky
In southern Kentucky, where poverty means prey, Scarlette Jasper is hard at work. Through education, housing assistance and developing the assets of local residents, Jasper is working to repair lives broken by rural poverty.
Murder trial for Alabama minister pushed back to May
An Alabama judge has granted a request to give lawyers more time to prepare their defense for a former Southern Baptist minister charged with murdering his wife nearly three-and-a-half years ago. The trial against Richard Shahan, former pastor to children…
Jerry Falwell Jr. emerges as possible Trump cabinet pick
One of Donald Trump’s earliest evangelical supporters is expected to be rewarded with a role in the next administration. The News & Advance in in Lynchburg, Va., reported Nov. 17 that Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. visited Trump Tower…
Ban on Baptist author’s book short-lived
Stan Dotson didn’t mean to start an international incident when he wrote a book about his 11-month stay in Cuba, but his publisher said Nov. 18 the matter has been resolved and Cuba: A Day In the Life should be…
What happened to Texas Baptists? Moderate churches shaken by perceived shift to the right
For decades, no Baptist state convention showed stronger resolve in defending historic tenets like soul freedom and autonomy of the local church than Texas. With this week’s vote declaring churches that welcome and affirm LGBT people “out of harmonious cooperation,” some moderate and progressive Baptists are wondering openly where along the way they lost their beloved Baptist General Convention of Texas.
New BNG feature: Letters to the Editor
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Transitions for the week of 11.18.16
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly. STAFF CHANGES Daniel Barringer, to First Baptist Church, Seymour, Ind., as interim senior pastor. Dennis Bickers, to First Baptist Church,…
Taking on the gun madness: it’s time to stop it, say faith leaders
Christian clergy are tired, they say, of wringing their hands, of changing their Sunday morning sermon after another Saturday night shooting, of gun advocates’ clichés and — worse — of expecting it to happen again soon.
Religious diversity a reality within churches, research shows
The church, it seems, is experiencing a constant “wake-up call” these days. It needs to wake up about the needs and interests of Millennials and the growth of the “nones.” It needs to wake up about worship styles, ministering outside…
Trump-inspired vandalism at churches follows election
Many feared outbursts from Trump supporters if he lost the election. Armed uprisings were threats common on social media. It turns out that vandalism at churches may also be the reaction to Trump’s Nov. 8 victory at the polls. Among…