Baptist News Global

Pastors urge veto of Mississippi ‘religious liberty’ law

Update: Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed the “religious liberty” bill into law on April 5. Three Cooperative Baptist Fellowship pastors are opposing Mississippi’s so-called “religious liberty” law, which would, among other things, allow public employees, businesses and social workers to deny…

‘Real’ evangelicals don’t support Trump? Not so fast.

The majority of evangelical voters are not supporting Trump, it’s true. But plenty of them by any measure are.

6 essentials for churches engaging Millennials

While Millennials are less churched than most generations, data has shown they are no less spiritual. So why aren’t they in our pews? The longer I have examined this question, the more I’ve been convinced it is the wrong one….

Engaging Easter’s light after Holy Week’s darkness

You know what they say on Easter afternoon in my line of work: “Christ is risen; the pastor is dead.” It sounds funny and perhaps it was, 19 years ago when I was first ordained. It might be age that…

Film, director challenge churches to re-examine purpose in life

Church consultants have been saying it so long they almost sound like a broken record: congregations are closing at appalling rates and most are too afraid to face it. That’s certainly nothing new to congregational coaches like Eddie Hammett, president…

SBC agency backs Mississippi ‘religious freedom’ bill

The Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm has voiced support of a controversial Mississippi religious freedom bill being decried as anti-gay. The SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission published an article April 1 titled “Will Mississippi Lead the Way?” The…

10 ways every church ought to combat sexual violence and domestic abuse

Recently some colleagues of mine and I hosted a four-part series on Baylor University’s campus for survivors of sexual assault and their advocates. We created a space for lament, then silence, next anger, and finally hope. We acknowledged in each…

The Baptist-on-Baptist fight within Georgia’s ‘religious liberty’ debate

Very seldom do you hear governors wax theological. But Nathan Deal’s veto message last week was a solid blow struck in the fight over what it means to be a Baptist in the South.

Are you a first responder?

“Do you consider yourself a first responder?” The question seemed odd at first, but it was sincere. The person who asked had not mistaken me for a firefighter or a police officer or a paramedic. Something different was meant. Not…

Faith leaders ask candidates to give poor ‘living wage’

On the anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dozens of faith leaders are calling for the U.S. presidential candidates to include a “living wage” for low-income workers in their political agendas.

The theology of Ted Cruz

Cruz’s defense of life is hard to reconcile with his calls to carpet-bomb and “annihilate” ISIS. How does one reconcile the defense of human dignity with these policy proposals?

Flooding draws minister back to hometown — with youth disaster workers

When Bobby Catt, minister of students at First Baptist Church in San Angelo, Texas, discovered a student mission trip opportunity in Wimberley in the Texas Hill Country, he knew he had to sign up his youth group right away. Catt…

Lindsey Graham spoke at Baptist church a week before his death

When leaders know better but choose a different path

On the death of Lindsey Graham

Farewell, Three Amigos