Baptist News Global

Nation’s first for-profit Christian school loses bid to be nonprofit

An Arizona university founded by Southern Baptists but sold in 2004 to become the first for-profit Christian college in the United States has dropped its bid to change back to a nonprofit entity. Grand Canyon University’s self-perpetuating board of trustees…

Is opposition to death penalty a non-negotiable for Christians? Yes, says one theologian

A Baptist theology professor said in a blog March 7 that authentic Christians must oppose the death penalty, even if it leads to division in the church. Roger Olson, professor of theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, said there…

Baptist political science prof running for Congress

A Southern Baptist college professor is running for Congress on a platform of religious liberty concerns he says emerged after last year’s Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage. Hunter Baker, a political science professor at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., announced…

From slums and drugs to faith and hope: a young man’s journey

The neighborhood around the Baptist Children’s Center in Nairobi, Kenya, can best be described with one word: slum. For Ben Oscar, the word he used to describe it was “home.” As a 6-year-old in the early ’90s, Oscar lived on…

Churches helping refugees despite fear and rhetoric, say those involved in resettlement

For some Americans, domestic and overseas terror attacks, plus a good dose of anti-Syrian political rhetoric, have made refugee resettlement something to be feared. And a lot of the Americans who hold that view are churchgoers – including a lot…

Change is inevitable. Transformation is optional.

I guess this is a good time as any to think about change. Nature is teasing us with suggestions that biting wind and freezing temperatures will soon be distant memories; I even saw a few crocuses pushing their leaves up…

A pastor’s take on Trump

In my capacity as a minister, I try to stay away from partisan politics. However, I cannot sit silently by when a young woman is assaulted by grown men, when a lone black face is screamed at by a sea…

Face up to these five realities of church life today

Could we just get a few things straight about the state of the church in America today? There are some myths and misunderstandings floating around that seem plausible but upon further scrutiny just don’t hold up. Let’s name some of…

Trade ‘the talk’ for transparency in sex ed, Baptist minister says

LeAnn Gardner shares a lot of uncomfortable information with the churches she visits. For example, she tells the parents of young children that those kids will almost certainly have sex before marriage — and chances are very good they will cohabitate…

Georgia’s Baptist governor opposes ‘religious liberty’ bill

Showing his Baptist stripes, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal made his strongest statements to date against controversial “religious liberty” legislation that critics say mask a hidden agenda of discrimination against gays and lesbians. Deal, a graduate of Mercer University and member…

Why Ted Cruz should see ‘Spotlight’

I can’t imagine why a presidential candidate would want to seek guidance from someone who has demonstrated such a wrong-headed attitude toward a support group for child rape victims.

Washington florist gets another day in court

The Supreme Court in Washington state has agreed to hear the case of a Southern Baptist florist sued for refusing to do custom floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding. Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Wash., is asking the…

Theologizing with Larkin Poe, 10 years after Reskinned

Ministry leader with tall tales wins GOP bid for Colorado governor

What Willy Rice once knew

What I learned July 5 at church