Baptist News Global

Vatican’s new stance on blessing same-sex couples draws praise and ire

This week’s bombshell announcement from the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith that Catholic priests may now use their discretion to bless individuals in same-sex relationships and others in “irregular situations” has sparked intense debate and varied reactions…

Lecrae has a big announcement

His fans know Lecrae best as a rapper, hip-hop artist and songwriter, but this Christmas season, he’s got a big announcement. Big in a biblical sense. He’s playing the role of the angel Gabriel in the film Journey to Bethlehem….

Vote Common Good challenges evangelicals and Catholics to dump Trump and forsake Christian nationalism

Politics always was secondary for Doug Pagitt, who spent three decades serving as a pastor in Minnesota. He served at Wooddale Church under Leith Anderson, president of the National of Association of Evangelicals, and later founded Solomon’s Porch, an innovative…

Kyle Reese and Joy Carol extol the blessings of interfaith relationships

Kyle Reese believes he is a better Baptist and pastor because of the years he has spent cultivating interfaith relationships. “Interfaith makes me a better practitioner of the Christian faith because I have engaged with people from other faith communities…

The messiness of Christmas

Often, Christmas is a time of making sure everything is just right. We sing of joy coming to the world, we read poetry of how stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and we mail Christmas cards imprinted with…

Ministry jobs and more

Baptist News Global provides a free listing of ministry-related jobs for Baptist churches, theological institutions and organizations across the United States. Each free posting is for 30 days and is limited to 150 words. Postings may be extended another 30…

Israeli military bombs only Catholic parish in Gaza, and snipers slay two women leaving mass

The only Catholic parish in Gaza and a convent serving nuns associated with the order of the late Mother Teresa both were targeted by Israeli Defense Forces Dec. 16, leaving two women dead, others injured and the convent in rubble….

Vatican declaration approved by Pope Francis allows priests to bless same-sex couples, but not marriages

Less than a week before Christmas, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a theological declaration approved by the pope allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples. The document, titled Fiducia supplicans, outlines “the pastoral meaning of…

Most Americans believe democracy is at risk in 2024 — but for different reasons

Election-related pessimism, paranoia and predictions of political violence are among the key findings of the 14th annual American Values survey, author and pollster Robert P. Jones said. “One of the things we’re finding is that the political temperature in America…

A thrill of hope? Reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas with my sister

When my sister, Olivia, graduated from college in 2018, the former mayor of our hometown was the commencement speaker. As she sat in her graduation robe, bobby pins stuck in her hair to keep her graduation hat from falling off,…

GOP abortion laws are wildly out of step with many evangelicals’ convictions

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, 21 Republican-led states have passed restrictions and/or outright bans on women receiving elective abortions. The most stringent of these laws may be found in the state of Texas, whose state legislature…

What shall we bring the grieving, poor as we are?

My heart is heavy today for those who grieve at Christmas. Not just those who are grieving the loss of loved ones and planning funerals instead of parties — I’ve officiated five such services in the past two weeks, and…

Y’all means all

Religious liberty ‘is not a sword to harm others,’ Laser says

The stories we tell define us

Whatever happened to heaven?