WASHINGTON (RNS) — The persecution of Christians “vastly rose” in 2012 as radical Islamists consolidated power in Africa, according to Open Doors, a Christian missionary organization that publishes an annual list of offending nations. Increasing threats to African Christians can…
Not about glitter, glamour, and gluttony
Once again this year, the turkey is now soup, the rolls are finished, and the freezer is much emptier than it was this time last week. It was a grand holiday and always has been my family’s favorite. I wonder…
So your church is on Facebook. What now?
While about half of Protestant churches have Facebook pages, many essentially use it as a bulletin board, missing out on the potential to nurture relationships with congregants and its community. "It's OK for a church to use Facebook like a…
Mugabe photo
Henry Mugabe photo
Chilean pastors living in tents as winter approaches in Southern Hemisphere
NIPAS, Chile—More than two months after an earthquake rocked Chile, rains have begun and winter soon will arrive, leaving a group of Baptist pastors bracing for the cold in small tents that have become their impromptu homes in the wake…
Relief launched for quake in Chile described as ‘without parallel’
CONCEPCION, Chile – Southern Baptists have released $50,000 for immediate relief needs in Chile, where the death toll has climbed past 700 in an earthquake disaster described by the country’s president as “without parallel in Chile's history.” A Southern Baptist…
Baptists prep for immediate, long-term responses to Haiti quake
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — Baptist groups in the United States began gearing up Jan. 13 for both immediate and long-term responses to the earthquake that killed thousands in Port-au-Prince, the capital and largest city of the impoverished Caribbean nation…
Baptists appeal for aid after typhoon hits Southeast Asia
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — Baptists in the Philippines are appealing to the global Baptist community for donations as they gear up for relief efforts in the wake of a Sept. 26 typhoon that has killed 300 people there and…
Religious freedom panel says: Confront China about weapons flowing to Sudan
WASHINGTON (RNS)—A federal religious freedom watchdog panel is urging President Obama to step up efforts to maintain the fragile peace between northern and southern Sudan. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom asked the White House to appoint a Special…