Baptist News Global

Anti-Muslim bias skyrocketed in U.S.

WASHINGTON (ABP)—Complaints of anti-Muslim bias in the United States shot up by 25 percent in 2006 as compared to the previous year, according to a survey by an Islamic group. The annual report of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, titled…

Complaints of church politicking up in 2006

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Complaints about improper politicking by tax-exempt organizations went up 43 percent in the 2006 elections compared to 2004, according to a report by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS was asked to investigate 237 cases involving churches and other…

U.S. Hispanic believers prefer ‘Spirit-filled’ worship in Spanish

WASHINGTON (ABP)—His-panic believers in the United States prefer “Spirit-filled religious expression” and gravitate toward a “distinctively ethnic” worship experience, opting to go to church with other Hispanics and speak Spanish when they get there, according to a recent report by…

Trust level in religion at near-record low

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Americans trust the military and the police significantly more than the church and organized religion, a new Gallup Poll reveals. Only 46 percent of respondents said they had either a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in…

FAITH DIGEST

Polluted lower Jordan River an endangered site. The lower portion of the Jordan River is so polluted, the World Monuments Fund has designated it an “Endangered Cultural Heritage Site.” The international body for the protection of monuments recently placed the…

Future of missions: What about career missionaries?

As churches and individual Christians demand more hands-on, practical connection to missions, some Baptists are questioning whether a missions-by-proxy approach—churches supporting professional career missionaries sent by large denominational agencies— has a future. Count Ken Hall, president of Buckner International, among…

Future of Missions: Technology changes the way missionaries work

NEW YORK (ABP)—Most Baptist missions leaders agree technology has changed the face of missions. What they don't agree on is what it has changed the most. Some claim centralized integration of information has radically reshaped the mission process. Others think…

Cries of anguish: BWA leaders worship at slave fort

ACCRA, Ghana—Cape Coast Castle. It sounds like an attraction at Disney World. But for the millions of African slaves who were processed and imprisoned within its walls, there was nothing attractive about it. The suffering of mind and body was…

North American Baptists meet in Ghana

ACCRA, Ghana—Like the other regions represented in the Baptist World Alliance, the North American Baptist Fellowship met July 4 in Ghana as part of the BWA annual gathering. The Fellowship, headed by its executive director Alan Stanford, is a network…

Biden commutations leave only 3 on federal Death Row

Understanding Christmas traditions is a matter of time

Sing a new song: Reflections on Band Aid at 40

3 killed as Methodist violence flares in Nigeria