Baptist News Global

Iranian officials reportedly suspend morality police after three months of protests

On Dec. 3, Iran’s Attorney General Mohammad Javad Montazeri made remarks indicating the morality police will be suspended. Montazeri spoke during a religious conference on Saturday “where officials were discussing the unrest” following the death of Mahsa Amini while in…

USCIRF ‘outraged’ by omission of Nigeria and India from State Department’s List of Countries of Particular Concern

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has expressed outrage that the U.S. Department of State did not include Nigeria or India in its latest designations of Countries of Particular Concern. Although a government organization, the USCIRF does not have the same…

When hate speech meets the First Amendment, what should Christians do?

Hate speech, like an erratic stock market, rises and falls. The primary instigators of the last two jumps in hate speech have been Donald Trump (beginning in 2015) and Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter. In Trump’s case, there…

Reflections on the 10th anniversary of Sandy Hook

Anniversaries are normally a time for joyous celebration. However, this year Dec. 14 will be a day for solemn contemplation. It is the 10th anniversary of the tragic murder of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School…

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…

How Santa figures into the not-so-merry Supreme Court case about LGBTQ discrimination

One of the key sticking points in the hotly contested debate over LGBTQ discrimination is whether that issue is in any way equivalent to racial discrimination. Now, Santa has gotten involved. White Santa, that is. During oral arguments before the…

This Christmas season, let’s not kill Jesus before he’s even born

As Christmas nears, one of my favorite things to do is look at Christmas lights. Nothing feels more festive than driving around that one neighborhood in town with the large historic homes decorated immaculately with twinkling lights and Christmas cheer….

The shock of being 60 years old

I turned 60 years old this past summer. I have not quite gotten over it yet. Sixty is just different. It definitely feels at least three years older than 59. “They” say age is just a number. So maybe this…

BJC leaders say religious liberty fears about Respect for Marriage Act are overdrawn

Conservative Christian leaders opposed to the Respect for Marriage Act are engaged in cancel-culture fear mongering that frames marriage equality as a threat to their religious liberty, Amanda Tyler said in a recent episode of the “Respecting Religion” podcast. “For…

Why these Christian men believe women shouldn’t have the right to vote

Following new data comparing voter registration and turnout rates between women and men, a group of male leaders associated with Doug Wilson believes the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave American women the right to vote, was a mistake….

Once ordained, always ordained?

Long ago, Carlyle Marney, an irascible Baptist preacher of blessed memory, praised Ralph Waldo Emerson for leaving the ministry because his conscience prevented him from serving the Lord’s Supper. Marney noted if he ever left the ministry, it would be…

Supreme Court hears case of wedding website designer who won’t serve same-sex couples

While the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court appears ready-made to support a Colorado wedding website designer who doesn’t want to serve same-sex couples, other justices grilled her attorney hard about why she should be allowed to discriminate on…

‘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