Baptist News Global

Christian music bounces back

ATLANTA (RNS) — Christian recording artist TobyMac’s blend of rap, hip-hop, rock and soul raced up the charts last year and shattered many stereotypes along the way. “Toby blows everybody’s perception of what Christian or gospel music is because Toby…

Fasting like an Old Testament prophet

(RNS) — Amy Lester has followed Jesus for decades, but her keen appreciation for his sacrifice on the cross came only recently when she started eating like the prophet Daniel. During Lent, which starts Feb. 13, the 40-year-old mother of…

New front in abortion culture wars

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Standing before the throngs at the March for Life on Jan. 25, Ryan Bomberger admitted that he was the poster child for one of the most difficult aspects of the abortion debate: his mother had been raped….

Baptist church sign draws attention in Manhattan

(ABP) — “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” Thus read the sign recently in front of Madison Avenue Baptist Church, a New York City congregation whose pastor is all about convincing folks not…

Africa rises, China falls on 2013 evaluation of Christian persecution

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The persecution of Christians “vastly rose” in 2012 as radical Islamists consolidated power in Africa, according to Open Doors, a Christian missionary organization that publishes an annual list of offending nations. Increasing threats to African Christians can…

Student ministry leader Louie Giglio to pray at inauguration

(ABP) — A Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary graduate, whose student ministry at Baylor University exploded into the Passion Movement encountering millions of students and young adults, will deliver the benediction at President Obama’s inaugural swearing-in ceremony Jan. 21. The Presidential…

GuideStone continues opposition to contraceptive regulations

DALLAS — GuideStone Financial Services, a manager of pension funds for many Baptist church employees in the Mid-Atlantic, announced Feb. 4 it continues to oppose contraceptive regulations. On Tuesday, Feb. 5, just four days after the administration released the healthcare…

New proposed rules by Obama administration would exempt non-profit religious employers

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Obama administration proposed a broader opt-out Feb. 1 for religious organizations that object to mandated coverage of contraceptives in employee health care plans, an effort to alleviate religious-liberty concerns behind a number of lawsuits challenging the…

Baptism ages are dropping in churches which practice believerâ€™s baptism, say observers

(ABP) — Something just clicked for Charity Roberson when she knew it was time for her to be baptized. Roberson, now pastor at Sharon Baptist Church in Smithfield, N.C., was 9 at the time. Some of the memories are vivid….

Faith leaders want Americans to pray for collegiality in D.C.

WASHINGTON (RNS) — At a time when the ideals of compromise and collegiality seem like a distant dream in the nation’s capital, an unusually diverse coalition of religious leaders is asking Americans to pray for civility. “Through daily prayer, we…

PBS program explores religious motivation of American abolitionists

(RNS) — As the nation marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, PBS is airing “The Abolitionists,” a three-part series that began Jan. 8. Documentarian Rob Rapley, the writer and director of the series, talked with Religion News Service…

Bus ads in American cities aim to reclaim meaning of â€˜jihadâ€™

(brNS) — An ad campaign on San Francisco buses is aimed at trying to change public perception of the word “jihad,” which the program’s founder says has been distorted by extremists — Muslim and anti-Muslim alike. Ahmed Rehab, a 36-year-old…

PNBC plans ‘Freedom Sunday’ this weekend

Christian nationalism is neither Christian nor patriotic

High court says feds can deny reentry to Green Card holders

BNG introduces ‘Bible Divas’ podcast