Baptist News Global has joined four other Baptist organizations in a clergy-support initiative called Respite for Revs. Leaders of the five well-known entities are offering their services at no charge to fill in for pastors who need to take an…
How the Constitution’s original religious freedom guarantee almost didn’t happen
On this day 234 years ago, the U.S. Constitution was signed and sent to the states for ratification, not only proposing a much-needed new system of government but also taking one of the first concrete steps to protect religious freedom….
Hashtags won’t defeat white Christian nationalism, panelists warn
Ongoing efforts by white Christian nationalists to destabilize American democracy must be met with the courage and grassroots activism made famous by the 1960s Civil Rights movement, panelists said during the second of two Aug. 18 webinars on the movement….
Interfaith coalition asks Biden to stop Arizona land swap to protect Native American religious liberties
A coalition of nearly 60 interfaith groups —including nine Baptist groups — has written to President Joe Biden asking for his intervention in a controversial Arizona land-swap enacted in 2014 but not yet consummated. The deal as currently structured would…
More advocates needed to counter Christian nationalism, BJC leader urges
Increased faith-based advocacy is needed to counter Christian nationalism and other anti-democratic forces that sparked the Jan. 6 insurrection and that seek a theocratic future for the nation, according to Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious…
BJC general counsel sees little future guidance in Supreme Court’s latest religious liberty ruling
As with a 2018 ruling involving a baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest foray into a free exercise of religion claim is so narrowly written as to offer little future…
BJC speaker asks: ‘What if anti-racism became an essential way of doing faith?’
Churches must boldly support racial, gender and LGBTQ equality in every aspect of ministry by accepting the inherently and radically political message of the gospel, Jacqui Lewis said during a June 18 virtual gathering hosted by Baptist Joint Committee for…
Melissa Rogers: America’s faith traditions can unify and heal wounds
While religious ideologies are increasingly cited as toxic and divisive forces in American culture and politics, faith also can heal those wounds when Americans unite around common causes such as hunger, poverty and disaster relief, according to Melissa Rogers. The…
Separation of church and state looks different through the eyes of minorities, BJC speaker says
The First Amendment and concepts such as separation of church and state and freedom of religion seem to signal that religious diversity is strong in the United States. “Well, that’s not really true,” Khyati Joshi, author of White Christian Privilege:…