Baptist News Global

Former BWA president Nilson Fanini dies

BEDFORD, Texas (ABP) — Nilson Fanini, a Brazilian Baptist pastor who led the Baptist World Alliance from 1990 to 1995, died Sept. 19 after a brief illness. Fanini, 77, was hospitalized Sept. 13 with pneumonia while visiting a new granddaughter…

Church-state groups press Holder to withdraw Bush-era hiring memo

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Supporters of the separation of church and state are urging Attorney General Eric Holder to fulfill a campaign promise by President Obama to combat religious discrimination in hiring. The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the…

Florida principal, athletic director not guilty of contempt of court

PENSACOLA, Fla. (ABP) — A federal judge in Florida ruled Sept. 17 that a blessing at an athletic banquet did not violate her court order telling a school district's leaders to refrain from promoting religious activity at school events. Following…

‘By the power vested in …’ what?

By Drew Zimmer As our nation continues to argue over the legality of same-sex marriage and the dangers it may potentially pose to religious freedom, I am left wondering about a more basic question few Baptists seem to be pondering,…

EDITORIAL: Dr. Micah’s health care prescription

What will our nation do about health care? That question dominates the American social and political landscape this autumn. But another question hovers in the mists of that landscape. It’s almost as important and perhaps even more troubling: Will U.S….

Open mission positions may be ‘God moment,’ says SBC task force chair

ROGERS, Ark. (ABP) — Impending vacancies in the top leadership positions of the Southern Baptist Convention’s two mission boards offer unique opportunities for the denomination, says the chair of a task force examining how the SBC should most effectively structure…

Theologian-scientist says there are pathways between two disciplines

ATLANTA (ABP) — There are paths between science and theology, and both can find value in interaction, noted author and professor of science and theology Robert Russell told an audience at Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology Sept. 15. Robert…

Most religiously conservative states have highest teen birth rates

PHILADELPHIA (ABP) — Teenage birth rates tend to be higher in states that are more religiously conservative, possibly because communities in those places discourage contraception, according to a national study. An article in the open-access journal Reproductive Health reported a…

Rankin: Future of SBC missions includes focus on direct involvement

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — Baptist congregations will increasingly take on more direct responsibility for international missions, freeing full-time missionaries to focus their energies in countries that restrict Christian evangelism, says the retiring executive of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission…

British Baptists visit China with view to re-establishing Baptist work

DIDCOT, England (ABP) — More than a half-century after the last missionaries left the country, a delegation of British Baptists is visiting China to explore re-establishing work in the world's most populous nation. A team representing BMS World Mission and…

On race, thoughtful analysis over hyperbole

By David Sanders This week, former President Jimmy Carter accused a wide swath of President Barack Obama’s critics of being driven by racism. His unfortunate criticism underscored that simplistic views on race are easily hurled into the public domain as…

Future of mission includes direct church role, says retiring IMB chief

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Baptist congregations will increasingly take on more direct responsibility for international mission, freeing full-time missionaries to focus their energies in countries that restrict Christian evangelism, says the retiring executive of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board….

Supreme Court slides into partisanship

Before the fireworks, be careful what you drink

The contemptible case of Clarence Thomas

The permanent paradoxes of Christian thinking about war