Baptist News Global

OUT LOUD

“The fact that this [election] could happen in a country with as tragic a racial past as America's says something noble and fine about the American experiment and the glorious ‘opportunity democracy' it has spawned. After much struggle, we as…

Return to Baltimore

Faithful readers of this column know that my alter ego is William E. Hatcher, a noted 19th-century Baptist minister. They have followed my Hatcher portrayals and know his connections with everything Baptist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries….

RIGHT OR WRONG?

I have just been terminated from a church staff. The personnel committee that asked for my resignation said they could do that because the state carries “at-will” employer-employee guidelines. Do I have any legal recourse? The short answer is “no,”…

Not all belief in paranormal phenomena is created equal

WASHINGTON (RNS) — For some Americans, ghosts, Bigfoot and UFOs aren't the stuff of tabloid teasers or X-Files reruns. They believe paranormal phenomena are real — as real as a resurrected Jesus and a devious Satan are to millions. In…

Publishers seek to give the Bible a thoroughly modern makeover

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The Bible is getting a makeover as publishers try to catch every type of customer's attention and draw in new readers who would be unlikely to pick it up in its traditional form. With different packaging, The…

FAITH DIGEST

Religious hate crimes dropped last year. Hate crimes directed against people on the basis of religion decreased in 2007, according to the FBI. In 2006, the FBI reported 1,597 hate crimes motivated by a religious bias. That figure dropped to…

All churches urged to participate in the Annual Church Profile

Each year through the Annual Church Profile (ACP) process, Virginia Baptist churches submit important data, including information about church leadership, membership, finances, baptisms, Sunday school, discipleship, missions and Vacation Bible School. The ACP is a statistical testimony to the work…

Baptist leaders from Russia, Georgia seek reconciliation

KIEV, Ukraine (ABP) — Baptist leaders from Russia and Georgia met Oct. 30 in Kiev to pursue improved relations between Baptists in the two countries, marred by war earlier this year. Representatives of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia and…

Azerbaijani pastor’s trial delayed, attorney cries foul

The long-awaited trial of an Azerbaijani Baptist pastor arrested in June has had another delay. Hamid Shabanov, 52, was supposed to stand trial Oct. 31 on what supporters say are bogus weapons charges. But his family and lawyer told the…

Baptist World Aid seeks funds for Congo

FALLS CHURCH (ABP) — The head of an international Baptist relief agency has sent out an urgent fundraising appeal to ease the suffering of victims of civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Just back from a conference in…

RESPONSE: Women and the pastorate

I wish to comment on the 2nd Opinion by David Gushee [“Gender debate ultimately about Jesus”] published in the Religious Herald on Oct 2. Since I am a storyteller, I would like to refer to a favorite tale by Hans…

Gay marriage dealt setback in California

WASHINGTON (RNS) — In a razor-thin outcome, California voters overturned same-sex marriage rights in the nation's most populous state, as similar bans on gay marriage were approved in Arizona and Florida. The verdicts by voters in three large and growing…

Mohler again claims same-sex marriage harms children

Dan Patrick reiterates: ‘No separation of church and state’

Baptists know better than this

Judge bars Tennessee from revealing immigration status of sick children