Baptist News Global

Deconstructing the crisis of Christian colleges and the culture wars

In one of her first public appearances as Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos delivered a speech at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference and established herself as a fixture in the culture wars. Her brief remarks began with swipes at…

Rethink church staff evaluations during a pandemic

Many churches designate autumn as the best season to do staff evaluations. How is this important task even possible during a pandemic? I believe unprecedented times demand a different process. As a vocational minister for three churches over a period…

Let’s stop appealing to Magic Jesus and get busy doing Jesus’ work

I don’t believe in Magic Jesus. If I go lie down on the interstate and pray to Jesus for protection, even if we pray a hedge of protection around myself, even if I name it and claim it, no divine…

Faith leaders make a case for Trump to the delight of some and dismay of others

“I’m done with Michael W. Smith.” That sentiment has been expressed widely this week on social media by Christians who have loved the veteran Christian singer-songwriter’s music but now find themselves disaffected by his apparent politics. For public figures —…

Beware when ‘law and order’ is cover for lawlessness and disorder

If you’ve been paying attention, the phrase “law and order” has saturated the news cycle of late. Some political candidates posture themselves as the “law and order candidate,” while other social commentators decry the absence of law and order in…

Black and white Baptist groups work side-by-side in Louisiana

Two Baptist traditions — one predominantly Black, the other mostly white — are leaning into a long-standing relationship to collaborate in disaster recovery efforts in Lake Charles, La., the coastal city ravaged by Hurricane Laura in late August. Even with…

Is the Kentucky attorney general a sell-out?

“There is always a place for posers who are willing to sell out their own people,” my Facebook post read. “Gain the world, and lose your soul.” The reference was to Daniel Cameron, the Kentucky attorney general, who had just…

Why vote? Because if we don’t do better, we will repeat history

This is the first in a series of first-person columns written by current and former BJC Fellows, a program of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, on the prompt: “Why vote?” Aaron Sorkin’s West Wing holds a special responsibility…

You cannot follow Jesus and endorse racism. Period.

You cannot claim to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and endorse white supremacy — either explicitly or implicitly. Period. There is no room for justifications or caveats. None at all. This is not about whether you identify as a…

Atlanta church turns Fellowship Hall into COVID-safe learning center for children

It took Smoke Rise Baptist Church’s Rebecca Caswell-Speight less than two weeks to organize and open a space for more than two dozen public school children to participate in virtual learning while their parents are at work. Among other tasks,…

Baptists and the rising tide of authoritarianism

One common thread that runs through most of the supporters of President Donald Trump is authoritarianism. “Politics makes odd bedfellows,” the saying goes; and the taste for authoritarianism has drawn together an unlikely crowd. Many people crave a “strongman” leader,…

CBF Governing Board will consider significant budget changes this week

When the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Governing Board convenes tomorrow and Friday, its decisions could reshape the organization more than at any other time in its 30-year history. Those decisions include both financial and structural changes made in response to a…

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?