Baptist News Global

On the anniversary of 9/11: Terrorism, heroism and the unholy myth of redemptive violence

With a prayer still hanging in the air — a prayer asking for their God’s protection and proclaiming their God’s blessing on their mission — young men boarded planes and launched themselves into history, killing thousands in cold blood who did not happen to…

It’s not ‘I shall overcome’ but ‘we shall overcome,’ Kamala Harris tells National Baptists

“When people of faith come together, anything is possible. Everything is possible. That is the power of faith,” U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told the National Baptist Convention USA in a keynote address Sept. 8. Harris, who is a Baptist, spoke to…

In Colonial Williamsburg, a paved-over parking lot and an almost-lost school teach lessons about racism

Recent archaeological and architectural discoveries revealed part of “the hidden story of racism in colonial America” for participants in a Baptist News Global educational tour of Colonial Williamsburg and Richmond, Va. In Colonial Williamsburg, they visited the original building site…

Be not afraid: The encouragement of Revelation for our modern moment

Every time our country or the world faces a major crisis, people ask, “Is this the end of the world?” And every time a crisis occurs, Christians begin to open their Bibles to that strange and mysterious book in the…

The brutal honesty of The Book of Mormon

I’ve seen the hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon twice. Deliciously blasphemous, it is as profound as it is profane. It’s also brutally honest and theologically instructive. Written by the creators of South Park (Matt Parker and Trey Stone),…

Transitions for the week of 9-9-22

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Neal Abbott, to Dellview Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas, as pastor. Jonathon Acosta, to Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference…

Queer Christian artist Semler wants to attend the Dove Awards as somebody’s plus-one

With their album The Preacher’s Kid, Semler was the first openly queer Christian artist to climb to No. 1 album on the Christian music charts just last year. Within the same year, Semler released a second No. 1 album titled…

The troubled waters of sexual diversity: Moving from reflection to action

This is the seventh and final article in a series on sexual diversity. If we were profiling you, a reader of Baptist News Global, our profile would look something like this: You are English-language literate; college-educated, probably with some graduate…

A friend defends Matt Chandler, the elders issue a statement, and nothing else is any clearer

If you thought the Matt Chandler situation couldn’t get more peculiar, guess again. Chandler’s Aug. 28 announcement that he would take an indefinite leave of absence from preaching and teaching at The Village Church north of Dallas has generated endless…

Faith communities are undergoing upheaval, awakening and maybe transformation

Something is happening in the religious and spiritual universe. Many people, if they care about religion at all, have noticed the changing face of religion and spirituality in the United States and throughout the world. Most Americans consider themselves spiritual,…

Vaccine hesitancy is not a matter of doctrine, but for some it remains a matter of faith

One-fifth of the United States population remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, and one-third are not fully vaccinated. The gap between the vaccinated and unvaccinated remains for much the same reason that has been true from the beginning: Those least likely to…

‘Radical new arrangements’: On conservative Christian radicalization in the U.S.

After a year of researching the matter rather deeply — including listening to conservative scholars, activists and politicians — it has become completely clear to me that a significant chunk of conservative Christians in the United States has moved from…

‘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