Baptist News Global

New seminary hopes to sow seeds of faith

A new seminary seeks to prepare students for ministry in a divided church and society by integrating interdisciplinary theological education with organic farming in rural Virginia. Sophia Theological Seminary is currently accepting applications for its inaugural class that will begin…

NAMB’s lies are worse than McLaurin’s, Will McRaney charges

A former Baptist executive who claims he was defamed by the leaders of a Southern Baptist Convention agency now says Baptists concerned about the fraudulent resume of Willie McLaurin should be more concerned about false witness offered under oath by…

Tennessee DA threatens Blount County Pride Festival if Flamy Grant performs

Organizers of Tennessee’s Blount Pride Festival have been warned by a district attorney they could be charged with “criminal conduct” if Christian artist Flamy Grant performs at the festival Saturday, Sept. 2, as planned. The singer’s appearance could violate Tennessee’s…

Drag is not what’s feared; it’s the people underneath the makeup whom we fear

From drag show bans to outcries over public schools and libraries hosting queens for reading programs and allegations of grooming, drag is in the conservative bullseye. Last month, drag queen Flamy Grant’s meteoric rise to the apex of the Christian…

Christianity after Christendom

In 1850, there were about 700,000 Baptists in the United States, evenly divided between North and South. As the nation expanded and grew, Baptists advanced in membership and social standing. As they expanded, they divided into divergent denominational groups, and…

When is a ‘prominent’ memorial not as ‘major’ as advertised?

A “prominent” marker on the campus of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary acknowledging the sins of the institution’s slaveholding founders is smaller than a nearby banner bearing the image of current seminary President Al Mohler, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. The 20-by-30-inch…

The logic of love or the logic of perfection? It can’t be both

In 2018, Kaitlin Flanagan wrote an article for The Atlantic that referred to Donald Trump as “the porn president.” Flanagan featured Anderson Cooper’s interview with former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Cooper asked his guest about the time back in 2006…

Baylor professors unearth a sordid tale of 19th century whitewashing of sexual assault

The way a group of 19th-century Baptists covered up a sexual assault committed by one of their own testifies all too clearly about the misuse of privilege and power when protecting beloved institutions, according to the authors of Remembering Antônia…

Why Christians shouldn’t fear artificial intelligence

When I was a boy growing up in the heartland of America, I learned two invaluable truths from my beloved father. First, I shouldn’t fear the “reaper,” because death will come to each of us (Hebrews 9:27). And second, I…

Walking a Christian pluralist path

Brian Kaylor begins his Aug. 17 Word&Way article, “The World’s Religions Converge in Chicago,” with this personal question of mine: “How did someone rooted and grounded in a Baptist version of Christianity become a religious pluralist?” In that recent speech at the Parliament of…

Transitions for the week of 9-1-23

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Scott Adamsons, to Hopewell Baptist Church, New Kent, Va., as pastor, effective Oct. 1. He comes from the pastorate…

SBC conducting internal investigation on McLaurin’s resume lies

The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee will launch an internal investigation into how its recently removed interim president deceived the denomination for years about his educational background and military service — both of which appear to be bogus. Although Executive…

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