By Bob Allen Authorities in Belarus raided a Baptist church service Dec. 22 and charged three leaders with holding an unauthorized mass public event, according to an international news service that specializes in religious liberty violations around the world. Forum…
Baptists host interfaith Xmas in Georgia
By Bob Allen Baptists in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia initiated a historic Christmas Day gathering of Muslims and Christians hailed as a model for interfaith relations in other countries. Muslim clerics from both Shia and Sunni traditions from…
Baptist fined for magazine subscription
By Bob Allen A Baptist in Tajikistan was fined after three church members received magazines from outside the country that officials said violated the country’s ban on production, import, export, selling and distribution of religious literature. The Norway-based news service…
Baptist seminary head wins labor appeal
By Bob Allen A judge has ruled that a Baptist seminary in Zimbabwe acted improperly in the 2011 firing of its top administrator who resisted orders to lead the school in accordance with the Baptist Faith and Message statement adopted…
Pastor in Central Asia faces year in prison
By Bob Allen A Baptist pastor in Kazakhstan faces up to a year in prison after refusing to pay a fine equivalent to about two months’ average salary for conducting worship without government permission, the international news service Forum 18…
Baptists in Uzbekistan lose camp
By Bob Allen A court in Uzbekistan has ordered confiscation of property purchased 13 years ago by Uzbekistan’s Baptist Union for use as a summer camp, according to a report by Forum 18, a global news service that monitors abuse…
US Baptist joins Kenya peacemaking cause
By Ken Camp A Baptist minister on faculty at a Catholic university recently participated in an international peacemaking initiative in western Kenya. Aaron Tyler, chair of the international relations graduate program at St. Mary’s University, joined an effort to help…
Embrace diversity, says BWA leader
By Bob Allen Cultural and theological diversity among Baptists worldwide is both a challenge and a strength, Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Neville Callam told European Baptist leaders gathered Sept. 25-28 in Bratislava, Slovakia. Callam urged the Council of the…
Gaining perspective from afar
By Molly T. Marshall Over the past two weeks, I have read of Miley’s shenanigans, the lawsuit on NFL concussions and the possibility that the U.S. might use military force in Syria — all from the perspective of the Bangkok…
British faith groups reclaim St. George
By Bob Allen The Baptist Union of Great Britain joined other faith groups in a letter reclaiming St. George’s Day, celebrated April 23, from right-wing group’s using England’s patron saint to promote Islamophobia and hatred. “We want to promote a…
Is today the day war begins in East Asia?
By Leroy Seat Today might be the day war breaks out in East Asia. This is the “Day of the Sun,” the most celebrated holiday of the year in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Day of the Sun commemorates…
Humanitarian aid as a weapon of war
By Rupen Das The two-year-old conflict in Syria is now being played out in three different but interconnected arenas. There is the military conflict that, at the moment from all indications, is deadlocked. There is the media battle, which the…