Baptist News Global

Bill Self in 1984: ‘Babylonian Captivity of the Convention’

Editor’s note: In 1984, the Southern Baptist Convention met in Kansas City for what was the sixth year of the so-called “conservative resurgence” that in time captured the leadership structure of the SBC and turned it rightward. The next year,…

If ‘guns don’t kill people, people do,’ how should we respond?

You probably have heard the simplistic explanation, often delivered proudly as if it is the very first time someone has thought to say it: “Guns don’t kill people, people do!” This retort is most often given after another senseless murder…

Preaching on racial justice was much more difficult without in-person worship, pastors say

Addressing racial justice issues from the pulpit in 2020 would have been challenging without the pandemic’s restrictions, but the task became daunting when it was coupled with the suspension of in-person worship. That was an observation of some of the…

Create in me a clean heart

We cringe to see the result of hate and anger in the world: bullying, mudslinging, demeaning, plotting, scheming, lying and worse. I’ve become aware of its increasing popularity and the draining, negative effect on my spirit. It’s easy to get…

Marriage equality advocates preparing to fight again if the same reasoning that may overturn abortion rights is used against them

In the wake of the leaked Supreme Court draft decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, LGBTQ activists are concerned that same-sex marriage could be next. That’s why on Tuesday, June 7, LGBTQ Victory Institute held a press call to…

If I had the power to ‘Zap!’ people, I’d be using it a lot right now

In Naomi Alderman’s 2016 novel, The Power, a force awakens in girls and women that lets them send electrical shocks out from their hands. They begin to use this power to fight back against men and to become dominant. Under…

Unexpected $4 million gift takes away one criticism of SBC response to sexual abuse

Concerns about using church offering money to fund a response to the problem of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention seemed to disappear June 8 when $4 million was pledged to the cause. Technically, some of that money still…

Here’s what’s wrong with the new Hardin Simmons Statement of Faith

As a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University’s class of 2019, I recently became aware of the board of trustees newly released Statement of Faith, which was adopted on May 19, 2022. Of particular note is the trustee’s declaration on sexuality and…

Faith leaders and mental health providers need to work together, panelists urge

Taboos around psychological illness linger in part due to the misunderstandings and suspicions faith leaders and mental health providers harbor toward each other’s roles in emotional healing, panelists said during a June 8 webinar. Some psychologists and other counselors have…

We have ‘soft targets’ of war here at home too

With the news of so many tragic events over the past few weeks, I have been struck by the thread that seems to run through so much of the carnage-filled images continuously in the media. The interviews from mass shootings…

Franklin Graham says he’s not a preacher of hate, so let’s roll the tape and see

I have a couple of questions for Franklin Graham. For years I have granted him a sort of “don’t criticize” card because of my respect for his father, Billy Graham. But as Franklin has become more and more political and…

In Tbilisi, the Peace Project rises as a home for Christians, Jews and Muslims under one roof

Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili is all too familiar with the criticisms of interfaith dialogue, especially as his Peace Cathedral in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, moves toward completion of a facility designed to host Christian, Jewish and Muslim worship and promote stronger…

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