Baptists should not sit quietly while the federal government considers a report that would redefine religious liberty in the United States. The Presidential Religious Liberty Commission’s draft report deserves a direct Baptist response. It challenges church-state separation while advancing a…
Democracy and religious freedom
This is the fifth in a BNG series of articles on Christianity and democracy that will lead toward the July 4 celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The series has been curated by Carol McEntyre, senior minister at First Baptist Church…
America is imperiled, but Baptists can save it
Last week, the annual meeting of the National Leadership Council of the American Baptist Churches USA took place in Atlanta under the theme, “Claim, Distinguish and Proclaim the Markers of American Baptists.” That should be considered a big deal for…
Nicaragua reportedly restricting Baptists and Bibles
The Nicaraguan government is ramping up its persecution of Baptist and other religious organizations and restricting the use and possession of Bibles, according to the international human and religious rights group CSW. Formerly known as Christian Solidarity Worldwide, CSW said…
I’ll side with the Catholics on this one
ICE came to Baton Rouge for Christmas, and at least one Southern Baptist pastor welcomed them. Lewis Richerson, pastor of Woodlawn Baptist Church, told The New York Times, “I would not knowingly extend Communion to an illegal immigrant who is…
Who gets to be a Baptist?
You can’t tell a Baptist anything. This is one of the highest praises and damning criticisms of the group. They are a contrarian type of people. Willing at times to bite their noses off to spite their faces and bite…
On not getting over fundamentalism
This past week, I received a link to an article on the Christian news satire website, The Babylon Bee. The article was titled “Baptist Conclave to Choose A New John MacArthur.” It was clever and funny. It pictured 12 older…
Baptists in Australia, New Zealand and Canada wrestle with LGBTQ inclusion
Like it long has in the U.S., disagreement over same-sex marriage and congregational autonomy are also driving a wedge between Baptists in Australia. Divisions began to simmer in 2022 when the New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory Baptist Association…
Getting over fundamentalism
Forty years after that long hot summer of 1925 in Dayton, Tenn., where the Scopes “Monkey Trial” was held, Southern Baptist preacher Carlyle Marney vividly recounted his memories. His parents were daily readers of the Knoxville News Sentinel, which claimed…
Withholding the water
In America 2025, DEI programs are in trouble. Remember Diversity, Equity and Inclusion? CNN recently interviewed seven “DEI experts and industry leaders” who gave these definitions: Diversity is embracing the differences everyone brings to the table, whether those are someone’s…
Yes, Baptist polity makes room for queer Christians
On May 6, my husband and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. Something we both like to do is give one another a gift and then go out to eat. For a while I have been thinking about what to…
A letter to Pope Leo XIV from a Baptist brother in Christ
Like much of the world, I was glued to my television this afternoon as you were introduced as Saint Peter’s successor. While I am a lifelong Baptist, my own personal faith always has been marked by a decidedly Catholic tinge,…