Baptist News Global

The Gospel of Luke: Notes from the editor

Dear Luke, Your book is coming along nicely. The stories are great. My favorite is the worthless kid whose lenient father welcomes him home for no reason. That one makes you think. We love the introduction. Everyone adores babies. The shepherds…

Church leaders, here’s your new vocabulary word for 2020: ‘Liminal’

Susan Beaumont looks like a prescient genius right now. She wants you to know the actual situation is slightly different. One year ago this month, her latest book was published with the title How to Lead When You Don’t Know…

Pandemic opens the door to a far-flung notion of church membership

There’s nothing new about people attending church in their living rooms and kitchens. Since the earliest days of television, there has been a symbiotic relationship between preachers and viewers. But what once was a sometimes-dubious bond — with televangelists offering…

Instead of sending out more anxiety, here’s a way to send out love

It finally got to me. I had kept my nose above the water, for the most part. Washed my hands. Stayed at home. Did my part. But when I had that conversation with my parents, the anxiety hit me. My parents…

A message to white Christian America: Remember the church at Sardis

I recently finished reading White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, by Robert P. Jones, the CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. In that book, Jones comments about recent (2018 and 2019) public opinion survey responses from white…

BNG panelists offer diagnosis and prescriptions for mental health during pandemic

Inflamed racial tensions, a divisive election season and alarming climate events — all during a pandemic — have stretched American psychological well-being to the limit. But there also are some potential spiritual positives from the coronavirus era, according to five…

A primer for non-Methodists on the Methodist ties that bind

Divorce is never easy. Even in the most amicable partings, the division of assets causes more contention than any other irreconcilable differences. In the case of United Methodists, breaking up may be even harder to do because of the structural…

Christian advocacy puts words and actions together in following God

Words matter. They are how we frame our society, our relationships, our entire lives. They are a gift. Actions matter. They impact everyone and everything around us. They have the power to help or harm. The central question for Christians,…

‘Do you mean vote for the murder babies crowd?’

Last week I shared to Facebook a Washington Post story titled “White House directs federal agencies to cancel race-related training sessions it calls ‘un-American propaganda.’” I prefaced it with this: “At all levels of American society, we are confronted with…

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…

MacArthur flaunts California court order, holds large indoor service again

On Thursday, a California judge issued a restraining order against John MacArthur and his Grace Community Church holding massive indoor worship services. Three days later, on Sunday, Sept. 13, the pastor and church defied that court order by gathering thousands…

What I learned about voter suppression while sitting in the Quiet Chair as a child

Summer visits to my grandmother’s farm included accompanying her to work decades before the Take Your Daughter to Work Day evolved. Her 25-plus-year career as the registrar of voters in a Louisiana parish populated by struggling farmers spanned the Jim…

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?