Baptist News Global

Transitions for the week of 1-6-23

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Eric Albright, to Southside Baptist Church, Decatur, Ala., as pastor. Gene Ashton Jr., to Fort Lee Baptist Church,…

The power of a book: Why I’m a street evangelist

“What does a street evangelist do?” In the years since I have self-proclaimed myself to be a street evangelist, that is what people want to know. The answer is simple: “I talk with people.” Now I’ve written a book that…

Sing of your faith, sing for your health

The following piece is written in dialogue between Paula Mangum Sheridan and Beverly Howard. The initials PS indicate Paula’s words, while the initials BH indicate Beverly’s words. PS: During my junior year of college, I interned as a social work student at…

In praise of billiards: A tool for ministry

When I was in my early sixties, my mother moved into an adult retirement community not far from our home. There she took up the game of pool. Every afternoon, she and a group of women played doubles. She became…

Kirk Cameron is promoting his new children’s book by protesting against other children’s books — and CRT and drag queens and librarians

Actor Kirk Cameron of “Left Behind” fame is cashing in on evangelical fears of LGBTQ people as he wages a war with “woke libraries” in a publicity stunt for his new children’s book. “It’s terrifying to me,” Cameron said regarding…

Religious liberty still perilous in Saudi Arabia, U.S. commission says

The U.S. State Department in December redesignated Saudi Arabia as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act for egregious, systemic and ongoing violations of religious freedom. That decision is applauded by the U.S. Commission on Religious…

Interpreting the recent dramatic decrease in American teen pregnancy rates

Ryan Burge — pastor, author and statistician — frequently shares intriguing research data on his Twitter account. On Nov. 19, Burge tweeted a graph showing the dramatic decrease in the amount of recorded U.S. teen pregnancies with the caption, “Can…

Some words I’m working to adjust in my vocabulary this year

On New Year’s Eve, Lake Superior State University released its annual list of English-language words and phrases that should be banished in 2023 because they are overused and trite. Please don’t call this list the Greatest of All Time or…

With holidays now passed, African immigrants to U.S. savor their memories of home

With Christmas and New Year’s Day now passed, many immigrants to the United States are filled with memories of home — whether they could travel there in person or not. The holidays bring forth beautiful memories for those who now…

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…

Children being raised in America today attend church far less frequently than their parents and grandparents did

Children being raised in America today attend church far less frequently than their parents and grandparents did, largely because their parents have stopped attending as adults. Gallup reports that more than a third of American adults have fallen away from…

Seven things to unlearn and learn this year

I don’t recall where I first heard the phrase. Perhaps it was Father Richard Rohr in Breathing Under Water. He wrote: “All mature spirituality, in one sense or another, is about letting go and unlearning.” Several years ago, the ministerial…

‘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