Baptist News Global

Transitions for the week of 4-10-20

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Natalie Aho, to Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Winston-Salem, N.C., as program manager. Previously she was…

‘Watch with me’: on the other side of our long night of grief, space to reimagine our world

The people who die from COVID-19 will come from every walk of life in every town in the country. But in aggregate, the pattern shows now and will continue to show that deaths by the disease are political deaths – ones set into motion by racism and oppression.

Zoombombing incident boosts church’s virtual ministry just in time for Easter

A recent cyberattack against virtual worship at First Baptist Church Jamaica Plain in Boston, Massachusetts, sparked Darrell Hamilton to re-imagine his calling and even that of the Church – capital C. How do congregations call and equip clergy and lay…

For all who seek to follow Rabbi Jesus, now is exactly the time to be political

These days will transform us. Let’s do what we can to ensure that transformation is toward justice, toward peace, toward compassion.

David Wilkinson, BNG executive director and publisher since 2008, to retire June 30

“David helped BNG stay true to its mission and deliver quality content for our readers. His integrity and leadership have positioned BNG for a bright future.”

In these fearful days, I’m gladly praying for ‘Sticky,’ my 4-year-old son’s imaginary friend

After this pandemic is over, after things return to “normal,” we will still have the scars from our experience. And how well these scars heal is directly related to how we treat our wounds and the wounds of our neighbors now.

The CARES Act may be a financial lifeline for churches; but at what cost to religious liberty?

I know the CARES Act represents a lifeline to churches that don’t know how they’ll keep their doors open without it. But I also know that my Baptist forbears endured imprisonment, public beatings and even exile to defend the principle of absolute religious liberty. Some principles are worth defending no matter what the cost.

BPFNA will host online Summer Conference due to COVID-19

The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America announced April 7 its Summer Conference will be going virtual in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual event was to be held July 6-10 in San Diego, California. But the spread of…

Crucifixion and coronavirus: a Holy Week unlike any other

David declared that even though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, goodness and mercy would follow him always and that God would be with him forever. This year, this Holy Week, we have to find a way to believe that.

Chaplains struggle to provide ‘ministry of presence’ in time of social distancing

“The difficult part is not being face-to-face, not having eye contact, not being able to give hugs and to provide a gentle touch to people, which is something that we do with hand-holding or stroking of someone’s forehead.”

Resources for churches, ministers and laypeople amid the onslaught of COVID-19

To supplement the original news stories and opinion articles published at baptistnews.com related to the novel coronavirus, the Baptist News Global staff has compiled a list of helpful articles and resources accessible online.

How to survive in a time of coronavirus: Turn down the volume

The stress of living in an age of COVID-19 is revealing all of us to be more of who we have been. It is amplifying our personalities – for good or for ill. Normally hidden emotions now rise to the surface, and we are more easily laid bare.

The wicked are punished — or not

What Ryan Burge sees in America’s megachurches

We are a nation of immigrants

As worldwide deaths mount, Musk insists DOGE cuts didn’t kill anyone