Baptist News Global

Belief that America has divine favor with God is on the decline

The notion cherished by Christian nationalists that the United States enjoys divine favor is not shared by most Americans, according to new research from Public Religion Research Institute. Among a myriad of topics covered by PRRI’s 12th annual American Values…

How does the period before the Civil War resemble our current social climate?

Taking lessons from history can be challenging. History is not static. It is not one thing, and historians are constantly revising and changing their interpretations and frameworks for thinking about the past. It may not be helpful to compare the…

10 things men can do to support women in the church

Guys, I want to help you out. The church is not always a welcoming space for women. That statement seems rather obvious when we talk about clergy sex abuse or the exclusion of women from ordination. But what about everyday…

Transitions for the week of 11-12-21

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Wade Allen, to United Church of Canandalgua, N.Y., as pastor. He comes from the pastorate of First Baptist…

Women need more than your affirmation

A networking community called The Pastor’s Common, whose council is made up entirely of men, drafted three resolutions for the Baptist General Convention of Texas on advocating for leadership among young ministers, unity across divides and the affirmation of women….

After the storm, a lull of information from the SBC Executive Committee

This story now includes significant updates below. After weeks of making national headlines, the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has gone virtually silent about its internal workings and its relationship to the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force. The two top…

For Godself’s sake, stop picking on the small church where Beth Allison Barr’s husband serves as pastor

It’s no secret that there’s bad blood between Christian complementarians and Beth Allison Barr. After all, her bestselling book, The Making of Biblical Womanhood, tears down the boys-only fort they’ve built in the church yard. Yet the sticks and stones…

Why is there a boom in enrollment at private Christian schools? Here’s one critical theory: Race

The New York Times headline, “Christian Schools Boom in a Revolt Against Curriculum and Pandemic Rules,” begs the question “Why?” “Why are Christian schools growing? Before addressing this thematic question, there is a definitional concern that needs attention. The secular…

William Richard Tolbert III, Liberian Baptist leader, murdered in Monrovia

William Richard Tolbert III, 68, the last-born son of the late William R. Tolbert Jr, Liberia’s 20th president, died Nov. 1 in his apartment in Monrovia, Liberia, after being assaulted by a yet-not-known assailant. The Ministry of Justice in the…

Veterans (Armistice) Day history and the prophetic import of red poppies

Veterans Day doesn’t lend itself to commercial attention like its twin, Memorial Day, probably because it’s squeezed between two other cash-registering holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving, and it does not coincide with a car-cultural observance like the Indy 500 auto race….

Terrorism experts say U.S. faces even greater danger from domestic religious extremism

The United States is in greater danger of politically, religiously and racially fueled violence now than it was when supporters of Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol in January, a panel of security experts said during a recent webinar. “I’m…

The second coming of JFK Jr. and other unrealities: Signs of our times

All things considered, an event in Dallas on Nov. 2, 2021, had the makings of a post-Christian kingdom of God moment for the subgroup of QAnon believers gathered in Dealey Plaza, site of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy…

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