Baptist News Global

‘Humanitarian catastrophe’ unfolding in Afghanistan

“What we are witnessing, in real time, is a humanitarian catastrophe.” That’s the grim assessment of the situation in Afghanistan this week by one of the foremost authorities on immigration work in the United States. Ali Noorani, president of the…

Afghanistan: A tragic example of an unjust war

I was born in the waning years of the Vietnam War. I don’t recall the war itself, but one of my earliest childhood memories dates to about 1970 and, for some reason, it is remarkably vivid. I had tagged along…

Blame me for the situation in Afghanistan

If you’re looking for someone to blame for the gut-wrenching situation and images coming out of Afghanistan right now, look no further than me. I’m one of the vast majority of Americans who, on Sept. 12, 2001, believed the only…

The need to be persecuted

Yesterday, I started teaching a new series to my adult Bible study class on 1 Thessalonians. As part of the introduction to this Pauline epistle, I attempted to explain to the class the kind of real persecution these early Christians…

It’s time to pay the Piper

On a crisp November night in 2016, I stumbled upon a message from John Piper that changed my theological and ministerial trajectory forever. I was an eager high school senior with a passion for (what I perceived to be at…

Is there a crisis at the Southern border? Follow the numbers

The official Twitter account of the Arizona Republican Party tweeted on Aug. 9, “The border is wide open, and our towns are being overrun by migrants.” U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn tweeted on Aug. 4, “The Democrats have abandoned our border…

Long-haul COVID offers a reminder to the church of the need to be more accessible to those living with disabilities

In the wake of COVID-19, some individuals who are diagnosed with “long COVID” are experiencing the reality of disability as they face symptoms that restrict their ability to move through life without limitations. President Joe Biden announced that many of…

Americans are deeply divided over the need for racial healing and how to talk about the nation’s past

Americans remain intensely split over the pace and need for racial healing more than a year after the police killing of George Floyd unleashed massive social and political upheaval, new research shows. The Pew Research Center also has found deep…

Writing your own name: Self-identification in a world of stereotypes

Countless times over the years, I’ve attended a meeting or seminar and upon entering the building and picking up my packet of pertinent documents, received an adhesive label that said, “Hello, my name is.” In the space below, I was…

United Methodists counter grim climate outlook with hope and action

While the world stood aghast at apocalyptic images of environmental extremes caused by climate change both in real life and in a new scientific report, United Methodists faced the global challenge with renewed commitment to hope and action. “The new…

Americans almost as divided over transgender identity as over abortion

American views on people who change gender are nearly as divisive as views on abortion, new polling from Gallup shows, in the first-of-its-kind research by the firm. Gallup has tracked Americans’ views on a range of sexuality issues for the…

America’s racial sins are sins against God

Too many American Christians act as if our nation has somehow earned God’s approval through our inherent virtue. Instead, I believe the largest way America has reflected Christianity is in how we have been completely dependent upon the grace (unmerited…

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