Baptist News Global

Columnist Jonathan Merritt latest departure from RNS

Jonathan Merritt, an award-winning religion writer who contributes regularly to national publications including The Atlantic and The Week, has stepped down as senior columnist for Religion News Service, citing “irreconcilable differences” with his publisher and interim editor-in-chief. Merritt, son of…

A bad dream for me. A real-life nightmare for them

Let our spirits not grow deaf to the screams of “Mommy! Daddy!” that are pulsating in fear from children who have been forcibly separated from their migrant parents. May we leap into action as we would if each voice we heard was coming from the crib across the hall.

3 myths about freedom that Christians should reject

From the very beginning, we’ve had trouble incorporating the “other” into our quests for freedom. We did not suddenly figure this out in my lifetime. It’s simply not true that minorities, the poor and women have experienced this country in the same way that I have.

Transitions for the week of 7-6-18

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly. STAFF CHANGES Justin Bishop, to Heritage Fellowship, Canton, Ga., as associate pastor. Mike Bumgarner, to Spring Creek Baptist Church, Norman,…

Researchers discover another reason Americans leave church

The forces driving Americans from churches apparently aren’t limited to the generational and cultural factors that grab headlines these days. LifeWay Research has found that departures also are likely to occur if a congregation’s core values are altered in some…

Court upholds decision barring pastor/judge from death penalty cases

A three-judge panel of federal appeals court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit testing the boundary between religious liberty and judicial restraint. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that Arkansas Judge Wendell Griffen’s lawsuit challenging his disqualification from…

Hope for America as we know it can be

I don’t recognize the America in which I live now. Maybe we can become again who we were. It’s just a matter of deciding who we are going to be.

A campaign to blitz the country with ‘In God We Trust’ laws takes root

As the summer heat waxes and state legislative sessions wane, the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation has scored a few small but significant victories.

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…

Donors call for investigation into trustee handling of seminary president’s firing

Two dozen major donors to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary have threatened to end their support of the Southern Baptist Convention school unless trustees right “serious wrongs” committed against its former president. Seven individuals and nine couples co-signed a June 29…

Daring to change our mind, for the sake of the church

What might it look like if we were to become genuinely open to the idea of changing our mind?

Be distressed or angry by ‘zero tolerance.’ But don’t be amazed or fooled

We should be saddened, distressed, angered and determined to resist white supremacy, white religious nationalism and the unjust policies and practices associated with it. But we shouldn’t be amazed or fooled.

Molly Marshall announces 2027 retirement

She preached anyway

It’s time to listen to the prophets

‘Alligator Alcatraz’ is no more