Baptist News Global

An uncertain past for one of the world’s major denominations

Baptists have no founder. They have no certain month, day and year of beginning. It is risky at best to find the earliest tender roots of a people who have become one of the world's major religious denominations. Across the…

Patterns in denominationalism

With approximately 35 million members and over fifty distinct groups in the United States, Baptists make up the largest and the most diverse American Protestant tradition. This diversity may partly be attributed to theological differences, dissimilarities in worship styles, and…

Virginia pastor’s research sheds new light on old Baptist controversy

RICHMOND — The struggle between moderates and fundamentalists for control of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1979 into the early 1990s is often called “the controversy.” Yet it was really just the latest controversy. In 1899, William Heth Whitsitt (1841-1911),…

Bluefield College matching scholarship program brings more aid to students

BLUEFIELD — Bluefield College has introduced a new scholarship program that will benefit students who come recommended by their local church. As part of a new Church Matching Scholarship Program, Bluefield College will award up to $1,000 to a student,…

Virginia judge gives conservatives legal victory

A Virginia judge ruled on Dec. 19 that three parcels of land belong to parishes that have broken away from the Episcopal Church, handing conservatives an important, if tentative, legal win. An 1867 state law, passed as Virginia congregations separated…

EDITORIAL: Will we blow out the candles or let them burn?

For the most part, I love parties. I'm not talking about political parties. I'd rather not think about those for a while. No, I'm talking about the kind of parties that feature ice cream and cake. And presents. That's why…

HERITAGE: Getting connected

Ann Fitzgerald Brown's family was in the telephone business. Her great-grandfather put in a telephone from his house to his store and a telephone company was started. It was all about people getting connected with one another in the rural…

SECOND OPINION: Is your church an open door?

The church my family and I attended in my early childhood was always unlocked. In fact, I don't think they even had a key to the door! In this country setting where everyone knew everyone else within several miles of…

OUT LOUD

“We have one suggestion for Baptist Christians — that they avoid words to describe evangelism (or telling the gospel story) which appear threatening to others, such as ‘evangelistic crusades.' Nor is it necessary to be critical of another faith in…

RIGHT or WRONG: Should I pray for a president I didn’t vote for?

The United States has elected a new president, but my candidate did not win. My Sunday school teacher observed that the Apostle Paul said we should pray for the king. I fail to see the application of that Scripture to…

Move over, bumper-sticker religion. Make way for license-plate faith

WASHINGTON (RNS) — In South Carolina, a district court temporarily has halted production of state-sponsored license plates that declare “I Believe” and feature an illustration of a cross, superimposed on a stained-glass window. In Vermont, an appeals court is mulling…

No evidence recession pulls people into pews

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Economic recession has not led to increased attendance at U.S. houses of worship, according to Gallup pollsters. Despite anecdotal evidence cited in high-profile media outlets, Americans' worship patterns held steady in 2008, the Gallup Poll reported. Since…

An American experiment: 250 years of trying

10 reasons America is not a ‘Christian nation’

American Dominion traces deep roots of Seven Mountain Mandate

Lindsey Graham and the history of ‘widow’s succession’