Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
America’s Violence Problem: No More Excuses
When I did my doctoral studies on Rwanda, the driving question I wanted to answer was, "How could a group of people do this to one another?" I wanted to know how there could be so much violence, even neighbor killing...
Baptists Advocate for Global Religious Liberty
The topic of religious liberty frequently emerged as a top concern during last week's annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) in Vancouver, Canada. As more than 300 Baptists from more than 50 nations met,...
NABF elects new leaders
The North American Baptist Fellowship (NABF) is moving forward with new leadership following a meeting in Vancouver July 7. Elijah Brown was elected to succeed George Bullard as executive director of NABF, an...
Canadian Baptists Reflect on History, Future
Canadian Baptists offered hearty welcomes to the more than 300 global Baptists from more than 50 nations assembled in Vancouver, Canada, this week for the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance. Canadian...
4 Healthy Responses to Social Media’s Political Chaos
Just a cursory glance at social media will show you the political division that exists in our nation, communities and even families. In recent days, every statement by a political candidate or pundit brings on either...
July 8, 2016
NASCAR, Bible May Block Roads This Weekend (Louisville Courier-Journal) Secular, Christian Worlds Collide at Ark (Cincinnati Enquirer) The Controversial Reason Some Religious Colleges Forgo Federal Funding (The...
6 self-inflicting wounds of American Christianity
By John D. Pierce, Executive Editor, Nurturing Faith Journal Each day seems to bring another sadly predictable episode in the ongoing self-destructive saga of American evangelicalism as it is increasingly known....
Do Baptists Prioritize Refugees Over the Undocumented?
Are U.S. Baptists more receptive to refugees from other countries than the undocumented in their own country? The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) was meeting and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) had met...
Global Baptists Consider Paris Agreement, Climate Change
The issue of climate change quickly emerged as a key concern this week at the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) in Vancouver, Canada, as Baptists from more than 50 nations met. The first meeting...
July 7, 2016
Southern Maryland Baptist Preacher Faces Lawsuit, Accused of Defrauding Parishioner (SoMDNews) Wealthy New York Preacher Wants to Sell Church's Mansion to Avoid Taxes (New York Daily News) How 'A Prairie Home...
Who owns the land?
Canadian Baptists hosted participants in the Baptist World Alliance's Annual Gathering on July 5. The evening was billed as a celebration with Canadian Baptists, and it was that. The evening was chilly, but we began...
Baptists Gather for Global Collaboration and Witness
More than 300 Baptists from more than 50 countries trekked to Vancouver for the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). During the week-long event, Baptist leaders will join together for worship, ministry...
UN: Record Levels of Forced Global Displacement
More than 65 million people were forcibly displaced by conflict in 2015, according to a United Nations' Refugee Agency (UNHCR) report, nearly 6 million more than 2014. Of the total, 21.3 million were refugees, which...
July 6, 2016
Biblical Scenes Uncovered in Ruins of Ancient Synagogue (National Geographic) Attack on Holy City of Medina Appalls Muslims Amid Ramadan Violence (CNN) Noah' Ark of Biblical Proportions Ready to Open in Kentucky (NBC...
Welcome to Vancouver
A scattering of global Baptists have gathered this week in Vancouver for the Baptist World Alliance's Annual Gathering. From Europe and Africa they have come, from Asia and Australia, from South America, Latin America,...
Love All Thy Neighbors, Not Just Those Like Us
What is the relationship between Christian identity on the one hand and national identity or affiliation on the other? Does God care which side of a border someone is born on? To what extent might identification with a...
Report: Religious Minorities Experience “Heightened Vulnerability” to Trafficking
Religious minorities experience a "heightened vulnerability" to human trafficking - modern-day slavery - according to the 2016 U.S. State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. "Modern-day slavery doesn't...
July 5, 2016
US Grants Asylum to Baptist Minister Deported from Kazakhstan (Christian Today) Donald Trump's 'Star of David' Hillary Clinton Meme Was Created by White Supremacists (MIC) Blackhawk Helicopter Lands at West Conroe...
Celebrate Religious Liberty: Exercise Your Freedom to Worship
Fire up the grill. Crank up the ice cream churn. Prepare for the fireworks show. Hum along to a little John Phillips Sousa. It's the Fourth of July. July 4th is a time to give thanks for our unrivaled freedom, and a...
Global Baptists Grapple with Relief Model
Global Baptists face a growing debate about how to best organize for relief and development work. This issue likely will be a focal point for hundreds of Baptists from dozens of countries who are in Vancouver, Canada,...
“Baptist Identity and the Ecumenical Future”
How does the church respond to the growing trend of popular protest against certain effects of globalization? What is the proper role of theologians? These questions reflect why it can be said that Steve Harmon's...