Baptist News Global

Dear churches who invite women to preach

Because of the Southern hospitality indoctrinated in me, I begin by saying, “Thank you.” Thank you for inviting women to preach. Women preaching has been oppressed, overlooked and ignored. So, thank you for thinking of me, affirming my call and making…

‘He Gets Us’ is feeding information to data analysts and, ultimately, conservative political groups

“He Gets Us,” the “biggest faith-related campaign in history,” showcased two commercials at this year’s Super Bowl. But it’s what’s happening after the ads that really matters for the campaign’s creators and backers. While capturing the attention of 113.1 million…

Ukrainians join European Baptists to help quake victims in Syria and Turkey

Russian bombs, missiles, artillery shells and gunfire have been unable to prevent Ukrainian Baptists from joining the global effort to help the victims of deadly earthquakes that struck the Middle East last month. “After over a year of war in…

Two Baptist seminaries among six ‘recommended’ by new Global Methodist Church

Two Baptist-affiliated schools are among six “recommended educational institutions” approved by the new Global Methodist Church. The GMC is a breakaway group from The United Methodist Church created largely over disagreements about LGBTQ inclusion and acceptance. The UMC is perceived as…

How dare they publish that list

I was furious. I still am furious. I had heard only the day before about a list compiled and being circulated among members of the Southern Baptist Convention detailing more than 170 churches where women serve as pastors. The list…

Advocates for constitutional ban on female ‘pastors’ in SBC publish a list of 170 churches they deem in violation

A proposed constitutional amendment to bar any Southern Baptist Convention church from giving a woman the title “pastor” gained steam — and opposition — this week with publication of a list of 170 SBC churches said to have women serving…

Former staff at Knoxville church see a familiar pattern in Northern Seminary’s complaints about Shiell’s leadership

When former staff members at First Baptist Church of Knoxville, Tenn., read accounts of how faculty and staff at Northern Seminary said they had been mistreated by President Bill Shiell, they recognized a cautionary tale they wish all congregations and…

Egged on by evangelical influence, Ugandan Parliament passes harsh new anti-gay bill

Eight years after an anti-LGBTQ bill passed by the Ugandan Parliament failed to see the light of day due to a court overruling it, Parliament March 21 passed another anti-gay bill after barely two weeks of consideration. Tagged as the…

Judge’s dismissal of 36 churches’ lawsuit holds implications for other UMC departures

A North Carolina judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by 36 United Methodist churches seeking to leave the denomination without following its required exit process. The dismissal holds broader implications for the slow-moving splintering of the worldwide denomination, which currently…

‘Woke’: I don’t think that word means what you say it does

I have been bumping into this strange word, “woke,” a lot lately. I wondered what it meant. Digging around, I found “woke” means to be alert to racial and social discrimination and injustice. Why is this considered such a bad…

Why a potential indictment of Donald Trump will matter so little to most of his Christian supporters

The country is collectively holding its breath this week to see whether former President Donald Trump will be indicted for falsifying business records to cover up the payment of $130,000 of “hush money” to adult film actress Stormy Daniels on…

Increased frequency of church attendance correlates with decreased interpersonal trust

On March 8, statistician, pastor and author Ryan Burge tweeted a series of graphs showing responses from survey participants sorted by varying frequencies of religious service attendance. Participants answered the question, “Generally speaking, would you say that most people can…

‘Be careful of Scripture heavy in law but light on grace,’ Wesley warns

‘Show up and do something,’ ACLU leader urges

From the South Side to the South Lawn and back again

Democracy as a moral practice, not just a system