Baptist News Global

Mandrell’s early departure from Lifeway is not the norm

Ben Mandrell is not the first president of Lifeway Christian Resources to leave the post for a pastorate, but the 48-year-old’s call to Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis is a rarity in the publisher’s 134-year-history. Earlier today, Mandrell accepted the…

Black Americans more frequently engage in religious practices than white Americans

There’s an 11-point gap between the share of Black Americans and the share of white Americans who identify as Christians. This is among the findings of the latest Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study, which found 73% of Black Americans…

Class-action suit gains traction to preserve birthright citizenship

A federal judge in New Hampshire has granted class-action status to a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship and also blocked the administration from implementing the plan nationwide. U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante issued the order…

Court says Florida cannot enforce its own immigration law

Florida cannot enforce a new law making it a crime for undocumented immigrants to enter or remain in the state, the U.S. Supreme Court said July 9. The one-sentence order let stand a lower court ruling barring the state from…

Alligator Alcatraz tourism

My wife, Lauren, told me a story once. When she was 16, her mother put her on a plane to Europe. She gave her a peck on the cheek, a few words of encouragement and a credit card. “Have fun,”…

With ‘allies’ like these, who needs adversaries?

Hosting drag shows in a church. Board members posting incendiary statements about political violence. Dismissing or scolding dissenting LGBTQ voices. Sometimes it’s “inclusive” churches that can do lasting damage to the cause of LGBTQ inclusion. I was reminded of this…

The Trump administration is using the arts to rewrite history

I’ve written elsewhere about the role the arts have played in both creating and confronting shared identity and ethics across time. Art is a powerful medium. It has the potential to both reflect and to shape collective memory — which…

Living out the story of God

As an avid reader, a personal standard for a good book is a storyline that captures the imagination with an invitation to enter into the world-building and characters’ lives. The book should bring questions like, “Where might I fit into…

How I struggle with Christ’s command to forgive

When I reflect on the people who have hurt me the most in my life, I realize the Christian commandment of forgiveness seems beyond my strength. Sometimes I can do it, and then some days I feel a fury I cannot…

‘Once the church of presidents … now an engine of resistance’

Acknowledging a history marked by power in high places that included 54 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence and 11 presidents including George Washington, the top officer of the Episcopal Church in the United States declared the…

Group behind state trans laws celebrates court wins

The Family Policy Alliance is celebrating recent Supreme Court victories for state laws it promoted that halt transgender medical treatments for minors and restrict online porn to viewers who can prove they’re 18 years old. The court also has agreed…

The wicked are punished — or not

What Ryan Burge sees in America’s megachurches

We are a nation of immigrants

As worldwide deaths mount, Musk insists DOGE cuts didn’t kill anyone