“What we are witnessing, in real time, is a humanitarian catastrophe.” That’s the grim assessment of the situation in Afghanistan this week by one of the foremost authorities on immigration work in the United States. Ali Noorani, president of the…
U.S. religious freedom monitoring agency raises concern again about abuses in Algeria
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has expressed displeasure over a series of recent court decisions that seek to limit the religious rights of Christians in the North African country of Algeria. USCIRF’s concern, expressed via a press…
Among Syrian Christians, severe persecution yet perseverance
Editor’s note: It is exceedingly rare for BNG to run any article without a clearly identified byline for the author. What follows is a rare exception to this policy, in order to publish the current testimony of a Christian pastor…
BWA urges: Remember the people of Myanmar this weekend
The goal of this week’s “Myanmar Red Ribbon Solidarity Weekend” is to combine prayer with activism to tangibly support the oppressed people of the Asian nation formerly known as Burma, a Baptist World Alliance official said. “It’s important as Baptists…
Re-receiving the gift of inclusive liberty, with help from Pope Francis
This past weekend, I offered Baptist ecumenical reflections on Pope Francis’s most recent encyclical “On Fraternity and Social Friendship” (Fratelli Tutti) on the program of the Hearth for the Human Family conference sponsored by the Focolare Forum for Dialogue and…
Pay attention to what’s happening in Myanmar, Baptist pastors plead
Current and former refugees from Myanmar welcome the political pressure bearing down on the nation’s military since it staged a coup against a democratically elected government Feb. 1. But much more pressure is needed, they say. “I am very disturbed…
United States still excels at religious freedom, but the rest of the world suffers, international expert says in BNG webinar
Government restrictions on in-person church gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic have been inconvenient, disruptive and possibly even illegal in some instances, but they are not examples of religious persecution as some American faith leaders have claimed, an expert on global…
Scorsese film ‘Silence’ illustrates Christian need to go inward with faith
The Los Angeles Times called Silence “a film for the ages,” while Variety described it as “undeniably gorgeous. A remarkable achievement.” But the latest film by Martin Scorsese, currently in theaters, is more than that, says Michael Sciretti Jr., a…
Starbucks and Christmas
By Alan Rudnick Starbucks red cups are out to bring us holiday cheer, but the response on social media has not been very cheerful. Joshua Feuerstein, a former Arizona pastor shared a video on Facebook that went viral with over…