Baptist News Global

Indiana Jones would be proud

LONDON (RNS) — Brushing back a thick layer of dust, Tudor Parfitt revealed a distinctive interwoven pattern carved around the outside of the “terribly, terribly damaged” wooden artifact tucked away on the bottom shelf of a Zimbabwe warehouse. “The moment…

Oxford researchers get $4 million to study origins of belief in God

LONDON (RNS) — Oxford University researchers have been given nearly $4 million to investigate the origins of belief in God. The three-year project titled “Empirical Expansion in Cognitive Science of Religion and Theology” is designed to determine if belief in…

FAITH DIGEST

Hinn submits records to Senate committee. After several weeks of delay, televangelist Benny Hinn has submitted a “significant amount” of financial material to a Senate committee that is investigating the finances of six prominent ministries to make sure they are…

FIRST HAND: Camp Alkulana offers year-round setting

Camp Alkulana — a ministry of the Richmond Baptist Association — has served as a summer haven for Richmond's inner-city children since 1915. But what many Virginians don't know is that Alkulana is available year-round to other groups looking for…

Circumcision: Are parents cutting out the sign of the Covenant?

NEW YORK (ABP) — The foundational symbol of God's ancient covenant with his people is getting a lot less common in the United States, but medical and theological debates still rage about the propriety of circumcision. Recent legal battles over…

Methodist group targets Israeli violence in Gaza

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Several groups within the United Methodist Church have responded to Israel's clampdown on the Gaza Strip by urging divestment in companies that do business with Israel and publishing media critical of the Jewish state. The United…

Human rights activists urge pressure on China

(BP) — A group of 26 prominent human rights activists have signed an open letter urging the international community to exert pressure on the People's Republic of China to improve its human rights practices before the Summer Olympics open in…

Ethicist describes recipe for global warming skepticism

SAN ANTONIO — Conservative Christians generally have turned a cold shoulder to concerns about global warming, but ethicist David Gushee believes he understands why. “Climate change is among the most heavily reported stories — and in my view, one of…

Some Southern Baptists decry timidity on environmental issues

WASHINGTON (RNS) — A group of Southern Baptists has launched a new initiative on the environment, saying that their denomination's past declarations on the issue have been “too timid.” “We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues have often…

Human rights faltering in Iran, say experts

WASHINGTON (BP) — Basic human rights, including religious freedom, have deteriorated under Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, witnesses testified in a Capitol Hill hearing. Iranian citizens have suffered “systematic oppression by the regime, … denial to freedom of religion, expression, politics…

Kidnapped Christians forced to ‘reconvert’

(BP) — Hindu extremists in northern India's Himachal Pradesh state kidnapped at least 60 Christian families in late February and pressured them to “reconvert” to Hinduism, despite a new law that prevents forced conversions. Lawmakers in Himachal Pradesh passed a…

FIRST HAND: Busting the top four food myths

DALLAS (BP) — Have you noticed how complicated food is these days? Trying to select an item in a grocery store or restaurant can prove to be quite a head-scratching experience, especially if you are trying to choose a healthier…

Islamophobia is the next bogeyman

The Black Church cannot remain America’s emergency moral infrastructure

We are manna

Webinar explores religious context of America’s Founders