Baptist News Global

ERLC’s Richard Land compares President Bush to Harry Truman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A prominent Southern Baptist leader has compared George W. Bush to Harry Truman, another president whose approval ratings dropped to the 20s in his final months in office but is now considered one of the greatest…

Religion shaped 2008 in big, dramatic ways

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Barack Obama chose Joe Biden, and John McCain turned to Sarah Palin, but in the end, the most sought-after running mate in the 2008 campaign never appeared on a single ballot. God, it seems, couldn't be entirely…

House churches under new threat in China

WASHINGTON (BP) — China's ministry of civil affairs has issued a statement calling for the elimination of the Chinese House Church Alliance, according to reports circulated by China Aid Association and Voice of the Martyrs, a move some say “could…

FIRST HAND: Celebrating Christmas in Chinese churches

Today, at the China Christian Council class, I learned from two of the class members how their home churches celebrate Christmas; I thought you would be interested in these stories. One church is in Liaoning Province, in far northeast China….

At 72, gospel music’s best-selling artist won’t slow down

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Bill Gaither may not be an A-list celebrity in some circles, but over a half century he has sold 20 million recordings and 20 million DVDs — more than any other gospel performer. And his impact exceeds…

BOOK REVIEW: In Search of a Confident Faith: Overcoming Barriers to Trusting God, By J.P. Mor

This is an excellent book, written by two college professors, but it doesn't have the feel of one written by scholars. While their research and scholarship are evident, the book is neither difficult to read nor dry. One of the…

BOOK REVIEW: Great Prayers of the Old Testament, By Walter Brueggemann (Westminster John Knox

In every culture throughout human history, people have prayed. But the manner in which they pray depends upon the deity they address. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann reminds readers that people in the Hebrew Scriptures specifically prayed to the God…

BOOK REVIEW: The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Cent

When many Americans think of evangelicals and politics, they often think of the “religious right” or possibly the “religious left.” Ethicist David Gushee makes a reasoned case for a movement toward an already existing and growing “evangelical center” as a…

OPINION: An atheistic Grinch aiming for capitol square

“It is not a religious display,” Dan Barker told Seattle's KING-TV. “It is an attack on religion.” The president of the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation was referring to a placard his group placed in the Washington State Capitol designed…

OPINION: Knocking at the gate at Christmas

It's human nature to focus inward, especially during lean times. We do it as individuals, as families and as a nation. Let the world take care of itself for a while, we say. Enough already with endless global crises and…

OPINION: The need for a new religious freedom statute

In the colonial period of our history, Baptists played a prominent role in promoting religious toleration. Their efforts gave birth to the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786, which disestablished the Anglican Church. The statute rejected the government's preference…

The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

I. Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan…

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