Baptist News Global

ICE officers rounding up legally resettled refugees in Minnesota

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are now aggressively rounding up legally resettled refugees in Minnesota and preparing to widen the search across the country, a national immigration advocate warned. “ICE officers have actually shown up at their doors and, if…

Administration concedes defeat in removing DEI from schools

The Trump administration has conceded defeat in its effort to force public school districts to abandon civil rights protections and diversity, equity and inclusion programs that benefit students. The victory came Jan. 21 when the U.S. Department of Education filed…

Why should we remember Martin Luther King?

My daughter, a student-athlete at a Baptist university, called me about a problem with her softball teammate. The head coach made an announcement canceling Monday’s practice due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. A teammate said, “Thank you, Martin…

Walking with King and Heschel past Beth Israel Synagogue

As we have honored Martin Luther King this past weekend, I am remembering his friendship with Rabbi Abraham Heschel and Heschel’s joining with him in the Civil Rights March in Selma March 21, 1965. Heschel was criticized for leaving his…

BNG podcasts and social media address Twin Cities issues

Two of BNG’s podcast have released segments addressing ICE actions in Minneapolis-St. Paul and the reactions to that show of force. On “Stuck in the Middle with You,” co-hosts Mark Wingfield and Benjamin Cole seek to discover if there’s anything…

Why it matters that this pastor says he wants other women

Fresh on the heels of countless pastors responding to the Philip Yancey 8-year affair with “it could have been any of us,” SBC Texas megachurch pastor Jonathan Pokluda asked rhetorically on an Instagram story “Why do I have a desire…

Let’s talk about how Cities Church treats women

“David Easterwood is a pastor here. He is also the director of the Field Office for ICE in St. Paul. So someone who claims to worship God, teaching people in this church about God, is out there overseeing ICE agents,”…

First year of Trump 2.0 brings jarring changes and low approval

Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office brought an unprecedented use of presidential power and significant change to the country and the world. Polling shows he’s under water at the end of his first year, with only 40% of Americans…

Ten Commandments cases get a new hearing in New Orleans

The fight over posting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms returned to court Jan. 20 when the full 17-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in two cases challenging new laws in Louisiana…

In Texas, a terrorism designation derails a youth sports league

Because Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated the Council on American Islamic Relations as a foreign terrorism organization, a Muslim youth sports league has been denied use of a public school facility. Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, which lies in the heart…

Faith leaders call for end to ICE aggression in communities

The tactics of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents hunting down people of color evokes memories of the oppression Black Americans have faced throughout U.S. history, said Boise Kimber, president of the National Baptist Convention USA. “ICE reminds us of…

‘Religious freedom isn’t something that exists on paper’

For a year, ICE and the Trump administration have made it harder for communities to live, gather and worship without fear. It started with the erosion of sensitive locations — which allowed ICE to conduct immigration enforcement activities on church…

Eradicating DEI hasn’t made anything better

How Christian nationalism shows up in patriotic worship services

Dear Trump-supporting Christians, are you really OK with this?

‘Every Student. Every State’ campaign promotes school tax credit