Donald Trump’s decision to negate the normalization of U.S.-Cuban relations may further American isolationism, but it will not sever the relationships between churches in the two countries. The “prophetic role of religious partnerships … will continue their fight for normalized…
Border wall, immigration among top concerns for Hispanic Baptists, leader says
President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, deteriorating relations with Mexico, and the arrests and deportations of immigrants — many from their own communities — strike at the heart of the Hispanic community.
Arkansas plan to execute 7 men in 11 days strengthens faith, death penalty opposition
It was a Holy Week unlike any other for death-penalty opponents in Arkansas and the rest of the nation. It began with outrage over the state’s plan to begin executing seven men the day after Easter. It was filled with…
Before execution, ‘Bali 9’ member found redemption, spiritual transformation
It has been more than a year since Tina Bailey’s friend and student was executed by a firing squad in an Indonesian jungle, but that pain is still fresh on her face. “It’s been hard; but being a part of…
Ministers in high demand in China, where Christianity has outpaced Communism
There are already thought to be more Christians in China (100 million) than members of the Communist Party (87 million). In fact, over the next 15 years, China is on course to become the nation with the world’s largest Christian…
Ending isolation saves careers, minister peer groups find
In ministry, going it alone can be downright depressing and, in extreme cases, deadly. Isolation, real or imagined, can lead ministers into burnout, emotional distress, heart disease and sometimes suicide. It prompts the age-old question: who pastors the pastors? Religious…
Working for justice is path to peace in 2017, spiritual leaders say
Scrolling through the list of celebrities who died in 2016 seems to take, depressingly, forever. There also were the personal losses and, for many, a political and cultural landscape that seems upside-down. And those are just the personal and domestic…
Missionary uses partnership to fight poverty in rural Kentucky
In southern Kentucky, where poverty means prey, Scarlette Jasper is hard at work. Through education, housing assistance and developing the assets of local residents, Jasper is working to repair lives broken by rural poverty.
Ministers offer a spiritual word to the stressed on Election Day
Remember 2012, when Obama versus Romney seemed like a contentious presidential election? It was enough for a group of Mennonite ministers, who responded back then by launching the Election Day Communion movement. The idea was to inspire Christians to use…
CBF sending new field personnel to China, New York City
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is seeking field personnel to fill positions in China and New York City. CBF announced online this week that it needs an individual, couple or family to serve a long-term assignment as a partnership advocate in…
Pastoral counselor promotes song titles as path to mini-Sabbaths, pastoral health
James Stillwell is a licensed pastoral counselor who does plenty of traveling to see clients in Kentucky. And somewhere in there he has a marriage he wants to maintain. That’s where prayer, meditation and Bachman Turner Overdrive’s hit song “Taking…
‘Spoken word’ preaching form gaining as racial justice movements grow
Somehow, Trey Lyon is able to pack nearly an hour of gospel into a few short minutes of preaching. And have it stick. “Trey’s sermons are 10 minutes, but I would argue they do more work theologically and homiletically than…
Hurricane Matthew teaching churches a lesson on patience, flexibility
Hurricane Matthew is forcing churches from Florida to the Carolinas to practice flexibility. The folks at First Baptist Church in St. Simons Island, Ga., are an example of that. The congregation has been pushed to embrace the unknown since most…
Mission work takes on legal dimensions for Va.-based field personnel
Mission work and ministry are taking on a dizzying array of new looks in the 21st century. Just ask Greg and Sue Smith, Baptist missionaries who spent years performing traditional mission work in Latin America before opening a ministry serving…