Baptist News Global

Historian says it’s ‘too late in the denominational game’ for segregated ministry

Baptists no longer have the luxury in today’s culture of ministering to their communities in silos separated by race, Baptist historian Bill Leonard said June 23 at a New Baptist Covenant luncheon at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in…

In Orlando killer’s hometown, religious leaders and LGBT people choose to build bridges

Members of four major religions — Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus — joined with the LGBT community for an interfaith gathering to share a message of love and compassion in response to the shooting.

It’s time for CBF to have the conversation

Many of you will recall that I served for eight years as president of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Foundation in Atlanta from 2002 to 2010. Some smaller number of you will know that I left that perfectly well-paid position to…

Community, collaboration and cooperation

Charleston. Donald Trump. HB2. Target. Hillary Clinton. Brock Turner. NRA. ISIS. Orlando. Are you still reading? I wouldn’t blame you if you’re not. Every time I see one of these words pop up on my Facebook feed, one of two…

Jesus, the man of violence

When we think of Jesus, images of a peace-loving, gentle pacifist comes to mind, at least it did to the mind of Howard Yoder. We read our particular ideology into the biblical text when we claim Jesus was a pacifist….

Tapping into vitality with congregational residencies

It’s a sociological axiom of congregational life that what we see indicated in North American megachurches functions as a “canary in the coal mine,” signaling what’s coming for the rest of U.S. congregations. With that in mind, here’s some of…

Pope Francis calls for world ‘free of the death penalty’

In a message to a world conference against the death penalty, Pope Francis says capital punishment “contradicts God’s plan for individuals and society, and his merciful justice.”

At 25, CBF still building something new

At 25, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship recalls its birth in a passionate commitment to freedom. All stories must start somewhere. Baptist stories are no different — from the self-baptism of John Smyth in 1609 to Roger Williams planting the first…

Human rights advocate elected to top NABF leadership role

Human rights activist Elijah Brown has been elected general secretary of the North American Baptist Fellowship, succeeding congregational leadership coach and author George Bullard, the organization has announced. Brown is the executive vice president of the Falls Church, Va.-based 21st Century…

‘Illumination Project’ seeks unity amid diversity in CBF

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Governing Board adopted a process June 21 to guide the 1,800-church Fellowship through controversy amid renewed attention to the organization’s 16-year-old policy against hiring LGBTQ people since the June 15 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in…

Some non-parents are happier than parents — and the gap is bigger in America

American parents are less happy than their childless counterparts. And the parenthood “happiness gap” is greater in the United States than in 21 other countries studied.

Who are we after the Baptist wars?

Our church’s recent quarterly business meeting seemed routine enough (if there is such a thing as a routine business meeting). But very quietly, something historic occurred that evening. In our congregational vote to grant membership letters to those who had…

An American experiment: 250 years of trying

10 reasons America is not a ‘Christian nation’

American Dominion traces deep roots of Seven Mountain Mandate

Lindsey Graham and the history of ‘widow’s succession’