June Joplin, the Canadian Baptist pastor who came out as transgender in her Sunday sermon June 14, has been dismissed from her pulpit at Lorne Park Baptist Church in suburban Toronto. Member Anne McKye, speaking on behalf of the church’s…
There’s a double standard on pastors and politics
Imagine a prominent white Baptist pastor taking to cable news to make a case for Joe Biden and then appearing at rallies to campaign for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. All hell would break loose. And that pastor would soon…
Juneteenth should remind us of all the things we don’t know
The more we learn about someone else’s story, the more understanding we gain about their perspectives.
BNG’s Top 25 of the decade
Presented here are BNG’s top 25 news and opinion articles during the past decade.
Franklin Graham, toxic charity concerns send churches packing from Operation Christmas Child
Years of viral news articles describing Operation Christmas Child as a form of toxic charity have contributed to a movement of churches away from the Samaritan’s Purse ministry.
Preaching the ‘red letters’ often makes congregations red in the face
The next time you think your pastor is being “too political” or “not evangelistic enough” or should “preach the gospel more,” give yourself a simple test: How does what your pastor preaches line up with the words of Jesus?
Why being transgender is not a sin
Transgender identity is about who a person is. It’s not about who they love or what actions they take that might be sinful in the sense that we all sin. It is about their fundamental being as humans created by God in God’s image – an image that God has declared to be good.
What is the Spirit saying about female and LGBTQ clergy?
Perhaps it’s time to connect the dots and try to puzzle out what God’s Spirit is painting among us.
10 things we’re learning about the LGBTQ debate in the church
Our congregation went through 18 months of intense study, prayer and dialogue about LGBTQ inclusion, and we have the scars to show for it. And we would have had scars regardless of which way the decision went. But we are better for choosing the good over the easy.
Baptist minister unlikely advocate for transgender community
A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship pastor and contributing columnist to Baptist News Global described 768 words that transformed his ministry in a TEDx Talk presentation now available online. Mark Wingfield, associate pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, spoke in November at…
If you’re not outraged …
Several years ago, a bumper sticker popped up here and there that said, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” We need to print up some more of those for times like these. Love him or hate him, you’ve…
Don’t blame Trump for your bad behavior
Kids don’t show up at school and suddenly say racist things to their classmates because of who won a presidential election; most often they repeat what they’ve heard at home. College students don’t suddenly start yelling racial epithets on a…