Baptist News Global

How ‘flood-the-zone’ politics is changing democracy and ministry

The “flood-the-zone” strategy is not new, but it is wildly effective. How can we understand its effect on churches and ministers? The immediate aim of President Donald Trump’s White House is to keep journalists off balance, news and social media…

Churches educating congregants on how to respond if ICE shows up

Religious groups are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst now that immigration raids can be conducted in churches, schools and other spaces historically off limits to such actions. The Trump administration rescinded previous guidance barring Immigration and…

Southern Baptist pastor confirmed to lead HUD

The U.S. Senate has confirmed a Southern Baptist pastor to serve as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Trump administration. Scott Turner, who was serving on staff at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, was confirmed Feb. 5…

Vouchers damage religion

I am opposed to school vouchers for a number of reasons. First, I am opposed for financial reasons. The Texas Legislative Board reports that the cost of vouchers as currently being considered in the Texas Legislature will increase from $1…

ICE raids in churches violate conservative principles

The recent lawsuit filed by Quaker groups against the federal government highlights an issue on which conservatives seem increasingly prone to waffle: the sanctity of religious freedom and the protection of churches from government overreach. Conservatives often advocate for robust…

Five ways the Texas school voucher bill is cruel

Here’s some basic arithmetic for you: The proposed school voucher bill approved tonight in the Texas Senate is cruel in at least five fundamental ways. First, it stacks the deck against public education, the bedrock of our democratic society. This…

United Methodists express solidarity with immigrants

United Methodists have joined other Christians opposing President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration and promising to continue their immigration ministries. Retired Bishop Julius C. Trimble, now top executive of the General Board of Church and Society, published another of…

‘The church of fear is still in effect,’ author says

The fear and rage that drove evangelical support for Donald Trump has not abated since his return to office, journalist and author Christine Emba observed during a webinar on Christianity and democracy hosted by the Brookings Institution. On the contrary,…

Evangelical leaders appear to have no comment on Trump’s plan to take over Gaza

This article was updated Feb. 6 to include comments from the Keep God’s Land coalition. Christian leaders were noticeably silent Tuesday as President Donald Trump shocked the world by proposing the United States “take over” Gaza and expel all…

A benediction gone bad

As sociologist Orrin Klapp observed in his 1962 book Heroes, Villains, and Fools: The Changing American Character, “The celebrity cult celebrates the triumph of ordinariness — charm without character, showmanship without ability, bodies without minds, information without wisdom.” The critique…

Racism is a series of lies

What precisely is so bad about racism? Part of me hopes I ask this question to a sympathetic audience who knows something is wrong with how we view race. But perhaps you can’t quite put your finger on what is…

Truth on the scaffold: Bonhoeffer’s witness to American Christians today

Anyone watching the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency can see that truth itself is on the scaffold. Bonhoeffer’s life and thought gives us a lens to see our present dilemma as a nation and church. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is among the…

What you’re not seeing: Tens of thousands of children separated from parents

The way we were

Talarico’s pastor pushes back on Daily Wire’s claims

Spiritual formation is how churches learn whom to hear