As the Southern Baptist Convention in its recent annual meeting has proved itself unreliably Baptist, it gives me pause to think about how quickly the transmogrification of this Baptist denomination into its ecclesiastical opposite has happened. Baptist folk often have...
Most of my adult life, I have questioned the notion of “Good Friday.” How can the day on which the Son of God was murdered be called “good”? I never would call Sept. 30, the day my father died suddenly…
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Chris Aho, to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, as director of Thriving Congregations, effective later this spring. He is pastor…
Three Baptist universities are among 25 faith-based schools named in a class-action lawsuit filed March 29 against the U.S. Department of Education, with claims of unlawful discrimination against LGBTQ students. The suit, filed in U.S District Court in Eugene, Ore.,…
I may refer to 2020 as “The Year Without an Easter.” That is certainly how it felt to me, at least. I had been serving as pastor of Ardmore Baptist Church for less than seven months before the global pandemic…
The exodus from formal affiliation with U.S. houses of worship continued its relentless pace in 2020 as congregational membership hit an all-time low in the 80 years Gallup has tracked it. The practice of “belonging” to a church, mosque or…
On Good Friday, April 12, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Ala., for leading an “unlawful” protest in the city. That same day, a group of eight clergymen including five bishops (Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist), a Presbyterian, a…
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” — Galatians 3:28 “Pray without ceasing.” —1 Thessalonians 5:17 During the past several…
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…
Connecting legislation with spirituality and supporters with tangible social justice actions propelled death penalty opponents to victory in Virginia, two organizers of the movement said during a March 29 Baptist News Global webinar. LaKeisha Cook and Roberta Oster of the…
Sam Baker did not start writing music until after he nearly died. In 1986, he was on a train in Peru headed to Machu Picchu. He was 31. A bomb planted by the Peruvian terrorist group the Shining Path exploded…
Not many people get argued into thinking differently, but experiences and stories move us, especially when we have the humility to listen and to view the world from a different lens, from someone else’s eyes. I (Shane) grew up with…
As faith leaders continue to preach the public health benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines, they now have additional support to make the case. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 29 reported results of a real-world study…
