A Baptist theologian who supports full acceptance of LGBTQ Christians in the church defended openly gay presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg from attacks by evangelical leader Franklin Graham in a television interview April 25.
Religion Notes: Nonprofit pushes lullabys, vigils to support immigrant children
A media and culture nonprofit that uses story to help immigrants has launched a multifaceted campaign to support children separated from their parents by Donald Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy.
Gushee says LGBTQ hiring policy will weaken CBF
A Baptist scholar who famously changed his mind on homosexuality says a new Cooperative Baptist Fellowship policy allowing the possible hiring of LGBTQ Christians for some, but not all, staff positions “may be the worst of all possible options,” distancing the very voices on both ends of the spectrum that CBF leaders were hoping to appease.
Megachurches must ‘come out of the closet’ on LGBTQ issues, say observers
LGBTQ individuals and movements have become increasingly transparent about their identity and causes. Now, it may be time for the nation’s biggest Christian congregations to follow suit. New data shows that none of America’s 100 largest megachurches report having LGBTQ-affirming policies.
Baptist ethicist says values voters should care about torture
A Baptist ethicist urged “values voters” who care about morality and believe in the sanctity of human life to hold lawmakers accountable for mistreatment of war on terror detainees during a hearing looking into one state’s role in a controversial CIA torture program used after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Baptists mourn, pray for victims of Manchester bombing
Baptist leaders and other clergy voiced sadness and prayers on social media after a terrorist attack killed 22 people and injured 59 at a concert by American singer Ariana Grande May 22 in Manchester, England. Police named 22-year-old Salman Abedi,…
‘Confessing faculty’ denounce sins of the Trump era
More than 1,100 professors at Christian colleges across the country have signed a “Confessing Faculty” document acknowledging sins of omission that echoes an 83-year-old statement denouncing the corruption of Protestant churches in Nazi Germany. The statement, drafted by faculty and…
Engaging the immigration debate: Ethicist, pastor differ on New Sanctuary Movement
A Baptist ethicist says flaws in America’s immigration system don’t rise to the level of a moral issue to justify the use of civil disobedience, but a Washington, D.C., pastor believes churches should do everything in their power to renounce language of criminality in the immigration debate.
Christian, Baptist, Evangelical — two out of three ain’t bad
Recently, someone who presents himself as “religiously unaffiliated” asked: “Aren’t you evangelicals really just the Republican Party at prayer?” We are good friends, so I responded: “Who’s ‘you evangelicals,’ you none?” For those readers who don’t have cable TV or…
Trump victory marks major defeat for Christian Right agenda
Many evangelical Christian leaders, both progressive and conservative, express profound, faith-based opposition to Donald Trump. But the reasons for our opposition mainly differ. This difference is often lost on outside observers.
Faith leaders denounce Trump’s ‘call to bigotry’
Fifty-five faith leaders invoked the memory of martyred Hitler opponent Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a proclamation April 28 denouncing presidential candidate Donald Trump. “Donald Trump directly promotes racial and religious bigotry, disrespects the dignity of women, harms civil public discourse, offends…
Defining evangelicals with a mirror: A response to Russell Moore
“We demand the freedom of all religious confessions in the state, insofar as they do not jeopardize the state’s existence or conflict with the manners and moral sentiments of the Germanic race. The Party as such upholds the point of…