African Christian leaders see common cause with an incoming President Trump
Nairobi, Kenya RNS President-elect Donald Trump has never visited Africa and is known to have made disparaging remarks about the continent. But as Christian leaders look to his inauguration this Monday, they see areas of common cause. Since the November elections, many church leaders have followed Trump’s interactions, public statements and activities. When it comes […]
Wow!: New documentary tells America’s story of religious freedom
FIONA ANDRÉ, of Religion News Service, reports on the new documentary, ‘Free Exercise: America’s Story of Religious Liberty’…
Prominent Baptist pastor in military-ruled Myanmar detained again hours after release from prison
Bangkok, Thailand AP A prominent Christian church leader and human rights advocate from Myanmar’s Kachin ethnic minority was detained by the authorities just hours after he was released from prison under an amnesty by the military government, a relative, a colleague and local media said Thursday. Rev Hkalam Samson, former head of the Kachin Baptist Convention and […]
More than 80 Australian Baptist leaders throw support behind ‘yes’ vote as referendum nears
Geelong, Australia More than 80 Australian Baptist leaders have signed a public letter supporting a ‘Yes’ vote in the upcoming referendum on the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘Voice to Parliament’. The Baptist Leaders for Yes group, which published the letter on Friday, says the referendum “stands as a once in a generation opportunity to […]
Essay: Some Baptists debate about women preaching, others listen to women preach
Baptist minister BRIAN KAYLOR says, in an article first published on Religion News Service, that focusing almost entirely on the SBC not only minimizes the theological (and political and racial) diversity of Baptists, but it also privileges a patriarchal body over others…
Cyber fraud cost Florida Baptists more than $US700,000
United States RNS Staff at the Florida Baptist Convention thought they were sending mission money to help pay for church planting. Then the money disappeared. “The Florida Baptist Convention continues to work with federal and state investigators, our internal and external auditors to recover over $700,000 in funds stolen from the convention through cyber-targeting,” according […]
Postcards: Faith-based volunteers show up to help after Mississippi tornadoes
BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service, reports how Christian groups have responded after the devastating tornadoes in Mississippi…
In the US, Baptist Joint Committee gains faith and justice centre, grows religious liberty work
United States RNS The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty is acquiring the Center for Faith, Justice, and Reconciliation in a move its leaders say will help them broaden efforts to support a more universal range of religious freedoms in the country. The 87-year-old coalition of 15 Baptist denominations, including both predominantly Black and white […]
Cubans adapt a month after devastating hotel explosion
Havana, Cuba AP The worshippers pray beneath a torrid sun, taking shelter beneath umbrellas or some of the few trees that border the Amphitheater of Old Havana, just a strip of highway from the channel into the city’s harbour. Hundreds of Baptists have been meeting on open-air bleachers set atop stone tiers for services on […]
Child sex abuse found across major UK religions – report
London, UKAP An inquiry investigating child sexual abuse in a wide range of religious organisations and settings in England on Thursday found “shocking failures” in how many religions handled abuse allegations, with victim-blaming and abuse of power by religious leaders often contributing to under-reporting. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse looked into child protection […]