Leading churches with ministries to internationals or with multi-ethnic congregations is becoming more challenging under a federal government hostile toward immigrants and refugees, faith leaders said during a recent webinar hosted by World Relief. Panelists focused on how the Trump…
Bishop’s sermon inspires United Methodist hymn writer
Mark Gruber-Lebowitz of Baltimore is among thousands of Christians moved by the Jan. 21 sermon of an Episcopal bishop asking President Donald Trump to have mercy on vulnerable people — but not in the way some people are moved. The…
Southwestern Seminary says land deal erased its short-term debt
A big real estate deal has erased $4.2 million in short-term debt held by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, President David Dockery told the Dallas Morning News. The Fort Worth, Texas-based school, one of six seminaries owned by the Southern Baptist…
21 groups urge senators not to confirm Russell Vought
A coalition of 20 organizations dedicated to the separation of church and state have written to leaders of the U.S. Senate urging them not to confirm President Donald Trump’s nomination of Russell Vought at director of the White House Office…
More child sexual abuse bills filed in 6 states
In January, several bills were proposed across different states relating to child sexual abuse — many addressing statutes of limitations, nondisclosure agreements or settlement payouts. Legislators said they hope these changes will make it easier for child sexual abuse victims…
In new podcast episode, Mark and Ben try to talk about Trump
Baptist News Global’s podcast series “Stuck in the Middle with You” is back with two special episodes that introduce a second season of the show. Co-hosts Mark Wingfield and Benjamin Cole intend to devote most of season two to interviews…
Theologians push back on JD Vance’s view of ‘ordered love’
Vice President JD Vance is getting schooled by theologians over his inverted theology expressed in a Jan. 29 interview on Fox News. What Vance said: “There’s this old school — and I think it’s a very Christian concept, by the…
Partners for Sacred Places helps churches see their spaces anew
Bob Jaeger and his team at Partners for Sacred Places want struggling American congregations to know there are numerous ways to preserve and use aging facilities beyond just seeing them become pieces of commercial real estate. But doing so requires…
Texas bill defines life as beginning at ‘fertilization’
The debate over when human life begins took a sharp turn in Texas, where a state legislator filed a bill that would define an “individual” as “a human being who is alive, including an unborn child at every stage of…
Trump starts with lowest presidential approval ratings since 1953
Despite his claim to have a mandate from voters, President Donald Trump has the lowest initial approval ratings of any president since 1953 — except for himself in 2017. Gallup reports Trump’s initial job approval rating for his second term…
Trump issues two orders on education that get swift pushback
Amid the flurry of executive orders coming from the Trump White House, two issued Jan. 29 related to education, and both drew immediate fire from educators and church-state separationists. The first order, “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families,” promotes…
ADL documents rising tide of antisemitism
Antisemitism has reached “deeply alarming” levels around the world by doubling in the past decade, according to a new report by the Anti-Defamation League. Close to half of all adults worldwide — or about 2.2 billion people — harbor “elevated…