Baptist News Global

Transitions for the week of 7-15-22

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Dirk Austin, concluding his tenure as associate minister of music for Antioch Baptist Church, Taylorsville, N.C. Sarah Boberg,…

Learning from Alma Woodsey Thomas how to find beauty within, around and through life

Are you searching for new skills needed to navigate life these days? The familiar paths were linear and logical, and too often, they go nowhere. Many feel they’re walking a labyrinth in the shadows. Imagine that circular shape and come…

Displaced by the war in Ukraine, some Nigerian medical students won’t be allowed to practice if they come home

In the last six months of his sojourn abroad as a medical student, Maurice Nwokejiezi has, on at least two occasions, come up against forces determined to thwart his ambition. The first was in Ukraine where in February, as a…

I pray for a day when the ordination of women is no longer a concern

It is encouraging and difficult to digest the information in the report on the State of Women in Baptist Life. One set of numbers that caught my eye is dedicated to the number of women ordained in the Baptist tradition….

The night I administered infant baptism as an act of compassion

Note: This article includes a description of a stillborn birth. It seemed to be a normal evening. I was at home watching TV when I received an urgent call from one of the members of my congregation who needed my…

Teach Baptist history and Bible history to debunk Christian nationalism, historians say

Failure to teach Baptist history in Baptist churches has made congregants susceptible to Christian nationalism, according to Baptist historians from two generations. In Baptist churches today, the history of the movement is rarely mentioned or taught any more, and this…

Churches can talk about issues and advocate for voting rights without running afoul of the law, BJC leaders explain

Even in the midst of a highly charged 2020 election cycle, most American houses of worship have protected their tax-exempt status by avoiding candidate endorsements and direct involvement in political campaigns, said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee…

Choosing the underdog

Growing up, I was short and stocky, which made me a less-than-prime candidate for athletics. In seventh grade, I wanted to play football like my friends. I was too small to be a lineman and too slow to be in…

This is my body

The traumas and burdens inflicted by COVID-19 are borne in our bodies, brains, hearts and communities. Physician Bessle van der Kolk explores the connection between trauma, the brain and the body in his fascinating book The Body Keeps the Score….

Kentucky seminary receives nearly $1 million grant from Lilly for education innovation

Baptist Seminary of Kentucky will receive nearly $1 million from the Lilly Endowment for a project to help nontraditional students gain theological education while working in church settings. BSK’s Siloam Project seeks to increase educational access for those already serving…

Here’s why the United Methodist Church is at odds with recent Supreme Court decisions

The recent spate of ultraconservative decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court has put The United Methodist Church officially at odds with the nation’s highest judicial body. The denomination’s opposition to the high court’s decisions can be found from its core…

Scholar traces how Black churches became centers of political engagement

Black churches became centers of political engagement during the 19th century when Black Christians determined to achieve the full benefits of citizenship in U.S. society, scholar Nicole Myers Turner said during a Baptist History and Heritage Society webinar. Racial politics…

Supreme Court slides into partisanship

Before the fireworks, be careful what you drink

The contemptible case of Clarence Thomas

The permanent paradoxes of Christian thinking about war