Baptist News Global

Transitions for the week of 7-16-21

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Amy Strader Andrews, to Cedarbridge Baptist Church, Greenville, N.C., as pastor. Linda Bergeon, to Atwater (Calif.) Baptist Church,…

Cornell West’s fiery departure from Harvard Divinity shines a light on the issue of faculty tenure

Cornell West may be the best-known Black academic and social activist in America, so his scathing resignation letter from Harvard Divinity School July 13 immediately went viral online. His departure from Harvard to Union Theological Seminary highlights a national debate…

A modest proposal for imperiled pulpit plagiarists

Pulpit plagiarism has been making the news again. “Again” is the operative word. This is not new. A couple of friends, now in their 80s, recall making a wager about which swiped sermon a famous Baptist preacher/evangelist would deliver to…

More Christians believe America is a ‘Christian nation’ that has not oppressed minorities and is chosen by God

An increasing number of American Christians believe strongly that the United States is a Christian nation, that it has not oppressed minorities and that it has been specifically chosen by God to lead the world, according to a recent Barna…

Having COVID reentry anxiety? You’re not alone

In the last few weeks, I have been living a fully vaccinated, post-pandemic life. I have traveled, gone to the movies, eaten in restaurants without a mask. It feels like I am doing something just slightly rebellious but enjoyable, like…

I’m an infectious disease doctor: Here’s why pastors need to lead their flocks to be vaccinated

A local church is experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19. This in and of itself is not rant-worthy; it’s sad, but it hardly sets them apart. Except, as with most of the patients hospitalized nationwide with COVID, these patients are not…

BNG plans three-day event to explore hidden history of racism in Virginia

Baptist News Global will offer a three-day interactive educational event in Virginia this September focused on exploring the hidden history of racism in America. The event is open to all BNG readers. Participants will engage with BNG Executive Director Mark…

Desire to validate the Bible makes Christians easy prey for archaeological forgeries

The early morning air breathes hot on her face as archaeologist Cynthia Shafer-Elliott picks up her trowel to begin her work she describes as “not for the fainthearted.” Before her stands a mound of dirt, otherwise known as a “tel,”…

BWA celebrates growth of Baptist movement, calls for unity amid challenges

The Baptist World Alliance concluded its most globally diverse gathering ever July 10 by celebrating its continued growth and outreach but also by remembering the life-threatening challenges faced by Baptists internationally. The three-day virtual World Congress attracted 4,000 attendees from…

My life as a bad baseball player and why you should get vaccinated

As a kid, I was a bad baseball player and always got stuck out in right field, where there’s less action happening and less chance I could mess up an important play. In these days of COVID vaccination drives, you…

Ministry jobs and more

Baptist News Global provides a free listing of ministry-related jobs for Baptist churches, theological institutions and organizations across the United States. Each free posting is for 30 days and is limited to 150 words. Postings may be extended another 30…

Why do we obsess over single tragic events and ignore the greater peril?

Since the moment the 12-story Champlain Towers condominiums partially collapsed June 24 in Surfside, Fla., the tragedy has topped the news — hourly, daily, exhaustively. News outlets nationwide have breathlessly reported every updated body count, every revised tally of the…

Trump’s war on ‘woke’ targets federal grants and foreign relations

Reflections on In the Twilight of the Christian West

Why rural families need support now

Why do we keep sounding the alarm?