Baptist News Global

My heart and my mind are in conflict about Israel and Hamas

The unexpected Hamas incursion into Israel, and the resultant deaths that are yet occurring, bring to mind our own experience of 9/11. The rhetorical choices made after 9/11 included labeling the attackers as “terrorists” rather than “criminals,” designating 9/11 as…

Violence begets violence: Hamas’ Pyrrhic victory

Pyrrhic victory: “A victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that is tantamount to defeat. The phrase originates from a quote from Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose triumph against the Romans in the Battle of Asculum destroyed much of…

Here are some ways to listen to Palestinian Christians

With war raging once again in Israel and Palestine, it seems far more people have opinions to proclaim about it than openness to listening. After the horrific attacks carried out by Hamas in which more than 1,600 people were killed…

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…

Anti-trans group wants candidates to sign a Title IX pledge

A group that advocates against expansion of Title IX protections to include gender identity has created a “pledge to protect schools, children and families” that candidates for political office are asked to sign. SAVE, based in Rockville, Md., is promoting…

What my apartment’s visitor spot has to do with biblical interpretation

I live in an apartment. At my apartment, my roommate and I each have a designated parking spot, painted with our address number to indicate who should park there. There is also a “visitor” spot, not specifically assigned to our…

The need for authenticity

Back in 1496, the young aspiring Italian artist Michelangelo recreated a sculpture of the sleeping Eros. The forgery depicted the Greek god of passionate love laying on his side in deep slumber. Collectors of his day highly sought these small…

Why will Semler and Flamy Grant attend the Dove Awards, where neither is accepted?

Although recording artists Flamy Grant and Semler both had No. 1 songs on the Christian music charts in 2023, neither artist was asked to participate in the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards, Contemporary Christian Music’s premier event recognizing achievement within…

Zimbabwe’s bitter elections create rifts between pastors and congregants

On Aug. 24, Zimbabwe held presidential elections where the military-supported governing party, which has governed for 43 years, won again, dubiously against a 45-year-old pastor. The bitter aftertaste of the election, which the United States government condemned as a “sham,”…

Nature is queer

How often do we hear from the pulpit and from lawmakers that diverse sexualities and genders are unnatural? This year, the United States already has set records for anti-LGBTQ legislative bills, and violence against queer people, especially trans and nonbinary…

Christian and interfaith tours to Israel canceled, while some already there are stranded

Being in Israel during the outbreak of war is like witnessing the unfolding of history in its most horrible and violent aspects, George Mason said Oct. 9 from near the Sea of Galilee. Mason had been in Jerusalem two days…

Orange Shirt Day calls attention to the horrors of native boarding schools

When Phyllis Webstad was 6, her grandmother took her to town to buy a new outfit for the first day of school. “I chose a shiny new orange shirt. It was bright and exciting, just how I felt about going…

Supreme Court slides into partisanship

Before the fireworks, be careful what you drink

The contemptible case of Clarence Thomas

The permanent paradoxes of Christian thinking about war