Baptist News Global

Joshua Bassett’s baptism illustrates LGBTQ+ Christians’ bait-and-switch experiences

Video of openly gay actor Joshua Bassett’s recent baptism at Bethel Church, a prominent conservative evangelical megachurch in Redding, Calif., set off competing responses — including Basset’s. Conservative Christians — who hailed Bassett’s public statement of faith as an example…

African Anglican leaders criticize Church of England over same-sex marriage decision

The Church of England’s decision to allow same-sex couples to receive blessings in the church has drawn rebukes from church leaders in Africa. A majority of Church of England synod members, comprising bishops, clergy and laity, voted in favor of…

Why do politicians lie? Because it works — and shame on us

Sen. Mitt Romney recently called serial liar Rep. George Santos a “sick puppy” and said the Long Island Republican didn’t “belong” in the House chamber in a heated exchange before President Biden’s State of the Union address. The veteran Republican senator scolded…

Coalitions in Florida and Texas seek to halt executions of mentally ill inmates

Death penalty opponents are pleading with two U.S. governors to halt the impending executions of a pair of mentally ill prisoners, including a Florida inmate scheduled for execution Feb. 23. “We pray that Gov. (Ron) DeSantis will consider the full…

Maybe Marie Kondo finally has come around to missionary Martha Myers’ mantra

Stop the presses: Marie Kondo, the “queen of clean,” confesses she can’t keep her own house perfectly pristine every single day. The 38-year-old mogul of a global “tidying up” empire is now the mother of three — her third child…

Pastors gear up to battle bequest of vouchers for children in private schools

As the governor and top lawmakers in Texas make a fresh push to divert public education money to private schools, a group of faith leaders is advocating against the move, based on their religious beliefs. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who…

Want to understand why the SBC expelled its largest church? Listen to W.A. Criswell

W.A. Criswell would be so proud of the Southern Baptist Convention this week. The man who once was the spokesman for why women should not — cannot — be pastors has reached peak influence 114 years after his birth. About…

Southern Baptist Convention ousts its largest church, Saddleback, for having a woman pastor

The Southern Baptist Convention has removed its largest congregation, Saddleback Church of Lake Forest, Calif., for appointing a woman as a teaching pastor. The SBC Executive Committee, which acts on behalf of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination in-between the convention’s…

Asbury University closes down revival that clogged small Kentucky town

Asbury University has ended the revival that drew tens of thousands of participants and generated global media attention across the past two weeks. The Christian school in Wilmore, Ky., said Feb. 20 it took the action in consultation with law…

SBC selects Guidepost Solutions to develop and administer clergy sexual abuse database

The Southern Baptist Convention has turned to a familiar source to operate its online database of clergy sexual abusers. Faith-Based Solutions, a division of the investigative firm Guidepost Solutions, will build and develop the SBC’s Ministry Check website, members of…

Is the market adversarial to Christian faith? History says yes

Baptists and other Christians must resist economic trends that diminish the moral and spiritual influence of Christianity in an increasingly secular American society, historian Curtis Johnson warned during a webinar presented by the Baptist History and Heritage Society. “We live…

United Methodists score 180,000 pounds of food for hungry people in Super Bowl challenge

Touchdown! Like a full-field kick-off return, United Methodists scored 180,000 pounds of food for hungry people in five states during a Super Bowl food drive challenge. United Methodists in four annual conferences — Great Plains (Kansas and Nebraska), Missouri, Eastern…

‘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