Baptist News Global
@baptistnews.com
Independent news organization covering the people, events & ideas that are shaping American culture & Baptist life 📰 baptistnews.com
"I spoke with more than one person who expressed the people of Minneapolis know they’re on their own. The U.S. government is occupying their city, and no one is going to save them, so they have to save themselves."
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On the ground in Minneapolis: It’s an occupation – Baptist News Global
They go by call signs like “Mr. Grinch,” “Ratatouille” and “Cold Toes.” They work within pods to patrol their neighborhoods by car, on foot and on bicycle. They sign up for shifts and have protocols f...
baptistnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 6:49 PM
"I spoke with more than one person who expressed the people of Minneapolis know they’re on their own. The U.S. government is occupying their city, and no one is going to save them, so they have to save themselves."
baptistnews.com/article/on-t...
baptistnews.com/article/on-t...
Federal authorities have arrested at least three people in connection with an anti-immigration enforcement protest at a Southern Baptist Church in Minnesota Jan. 18, federal officials said.
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Three arrested in Cities Church protest – Baptist News Global
Federal authorities have arrested at least three people in connection with an anti-immigration enforcement protest at a church.
baptistnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Federal authorities have arrested at least three people in connection with an anti-immigration enforcement protest at a Southern Baptist Church in Minnesota Jan. 18, federal officials said.
baptistnews.com/article/thre...
baptistnews.com/article/thre...
Oklahoma Rep. Chris Kannady has filed HB 4227, which includes a version of “Trey’s Law” legislation that aims to ensure survivors of child sexual abuse and trafficking are no longer silenced by non-disclosure agreements in civil settlements.
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‘Trey’s Law’ filed in Oklahoma House of Representatives – Baptist News Global
The legislation introduced in Oklahoma would prohibit NDAs in civil cases involving child sexual abuse and trafficking.
baptistnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Oklahoma Rep. Chris Kannady has filed HB 4227, which includes a version of “Trey’s Law” legislation that aims to ensure survivors of child sexual abuse and trafficking are no longer silenced by non-disclosure agreements in civil settlements.
baptistnews.com/article/trey...
baptistnews.com/article/trey...
"Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was detained by ICE agents, moved across state lines, shipped to Texas and placed into a system that does not know his favorite color, his bedtime ritual or the sound of his parents’ voice when he is afraid."
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baptistnews.com/article/are-...
Are we OK with children going missing? – Baptist News Global
A child was taken. Taken from routine. Taken from familiarity. Taken from the quiet assumptions that adults would keep him safe.
baptistnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:08 PM
"Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was detained by ICE agents, moved across state lines, shipped to Texas and placed into a system that does not know his favorite color, his bedtime ritual or the sound of his parents’ voice when he is afraid."
baptistnews.com/article/are-...
baptistnews.com/article/are-...
@amandatylerbjc.bsky.social: "Religious freedom isn’t something that exists on paper. It is something that is lived. It is something that needs to be willed and acted on."
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‘Religious freedom isn’t something that exists on paper’ – Baptist News Global
For a year, ICE and the Trump administration have made it harder for communities to live, gather and worship without fear.
baptistnews.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:34 PM
@amandatylerbjc.bsky.social: "Religious freedom isn’t something that exists on paper. It is something that is lived. It is something that needs to be willed and acted on."
baptistnews.com/article/reli...
baptistnews.com/article/reli...
"While those who lean toward the left have a variety of takes on the protest, conservatives are playing the persecution card by casting the pastors of Cities Church as poor, faithful victims."
baptistnews.com/article/lets...
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Let’s talk about how Cities Church treats women – Baptist News Global
To understand pastors of Cities Church, examine where they came from, how they view authority, submission, gender and punishment.
baptistnews.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:33 PM
"While those who lean toward the left have a variety of takes on the protest, conservatives are playing the persecution card by casting the pastors of Cities Church as poor, faithful victims."
baptistnews.com/article/lets...
baptistnews.com/article/lets...
Read it now: baptistnews.com/article/we-d...
January 20, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Read it now: baptistnews.com/article/we-d...
"I know one name clearly. And I cannot ignore the truth that part of why I know it is because she was a white woman, because her death fit what this country has been trained to recognize as tragic, credible and worthy of attention."
baptistnews.com/article/we-d... #reneenicolegood #minneapolis #ice
baptistnews.com/article/we-d... #reneenicolegood #minneapolis #ice
We do not know all the names – Baptist News Global
Over the last 12 months, 32 people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and during immigration enforcement actions,
baptistnews.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:53 PM
"I know one name clearly. And I cannot ignore the truth that part of why I know it is because she was a white woman, because her death fit what this country has been trained to recognize as tragic, credible and worthy of attention."
baptistnews.com/article/we-d... #reneenicolegood #minneapolis #ice
baptistnews.com/article/we-d... #reneenicolegood #minneapolis #ice
On Jan. 15, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced during his State of the State address that passage of “Trey’s Law” will be a priority of First Lady Marty Kemp and the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion and Education Commission.
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Trey’s Law announced as priority in Georgia – Baptist News Global
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced passage of “Trey’s Law” will be a priority of First Lady Marty Kemp this session.
baptistnews.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:54 PM
On Jan. 15, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced during his State of the State address that passage of “Trey’s Law” will be a priority of First Lady Marty Kemp and the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion and Education Commission.
baptistnews.com/article/trey...
baptistnews.com/article/trey...
"Like the prophets before him, [Martin Luther King Jr.] spoke truth to power, not as an abstraction, but as a lived, costly vocation."
baptistnews.com/article/cour... #martinlutherkingjrday
baptistnews.com/article/cour... #martinlutherkingjrday
Court prophets and the crisis of the prophetic – Baptist News Global
If a real word from the Lord were spoken today, would we recognize it or would we reject it for failing to confirm what we already believe?
baptistnews.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:45 PM
"Like the prophets before him, [Martin Luther King Jr.] spoke truth to power, not as an abstraction, but as a lived, costly vocation."
baptistnews.com/article/cour... #martinlutherkingjrday
baptistnews.com/article/cour... #martinlutherkingjrday
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. That dream, however, has no hope of being understood apart from King’s Baptist identity.
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The Baptist roots of Martin Luther King Jr. – Baptist News Global
Son of a Baptist preacher, grandson of a Baptist preacher, great-grandson of a Baptist preacher, King viewed Baptist identity as inheritance.
baptistnews.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. That dream, however, has no hope of being understood apart from King’s Baptist identity.
baptistnews.com/article/the-...
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"Since its inception, the Black Church has stood for activism. It has been loud when the world demanded silence. Emotive in a culture that prizes stoicism over vulnerability.
Or at least, it used to be."
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Or at least, it used to be."
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Too many Black churches have stopped doing the work – Baptist News Global
Many pulpits have grown conspicuously quiet.And it’s not because there is nothing to say," the author explains.
baptistnews.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:50 PM
"Since its inception, the Black Church has stood for activism. It has been loud when the world demanded silence. Emotive in a culture that prizes stoicism over vulnerability.
Or at least, it used to be."
baptistnews.com/article/too-...
Or at least, it used to be."
baptistnews.com/article/too-...
A professor at John Piper’s Bethlehem Seminary prayed on Sunday not for God to protect the terrified people of Minneapolis, but for God to protect ICE from the violent people of Minneapolis.
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Calvinist pastor prays for God to smite the people of Minneapolis – Baptist News Global
A professor at Bethlehem Seminary prayed on Sunday for God to protect ICE from the violent people of Minneapolis.
baptistnews.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:24 AM
A professor at John Piper’s Bethlehem Seminary prayed on Sunday not for God to protect the terrified people of Minneapolis, but for God to protect ICE from the violent people of Minneapolis.
baptistnews.com/article/calv...
baptistnews.com/article/calv...
"The holidays looked very different this year. We spent Christmas morning visiting my husband, Shahrokh, in an ICE detention center, where he has been held for more than six months."
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We spent Christmas visiting my husband in ICE detention – Baptist News Global
We spent Christmas morning visiting my husband, Shahrokh, in an ICE detention center, where he has been held for more than six months.
baptistnews.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:23 PM
"The holidays looked very different this year. We spent Christmas morning visiting my husband, Shahrokh, in an ICE detention center, where he has been held for more than six months."
baptistnews.com/article/we-s...
baptistnews.com/article/we-s...
The states of Illinois and Minnesota filed lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security Jan. 12 in an effort to protect citizens from aggressive and even deadly federal immigration enforcement tactics.
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Illinois and Minnesota sue to stop ICE in their states – Baptist News Global
Illinois and Minnesota filed lawsuits against DHS to protect citizens from aggressive federal immigration enforcement tactics.
baptistnews.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:23 PM
The states of Illinois and Minnesota filed lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security Jan. 12 in an effort to protect citizens from aggressive and even deadly federal immigration enforcement tactics.
baptistnews.com/article/illi...
baptistnews.com/article/illi...
Almost a quarter of a million more children are projected to have died in 2025 than in 2024 following a decline in global aid from the U.S. and other nations, reversing steady declines in child deaths dating back to 1990.
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243,000 more children died last year due to Trump’s tactics – Baptist News Global
Almost a quarter of a million more children are projected to have died in 2025 than in 2024 following a decline in global aid from the U.S.
baptistnews.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Almost a quarter of a million more children are projected to have died in 2025 than in 2024 following a decline in global aid from the U.S. and other nations, reversing steady declines in child deaths dating back to 1990.
baptistnews.com/article/2430...
baptistnews.com/article/2430...
When BNG reported the North American Mission Board was cancelling life‑insurance coverage it long promised to forced retirees, NAMB described the move as painful but responsible “stewardship."
So we went looking at the means.
baptistnews.com/article/insi...
So we went looking at the means.
baptistnews.com/article/insi...
Inside NAMB’s deficit spiral and the retirees paying for it – Baptist News Global
Cancelling burial insurance for forced retirees does not rescue NAMB from financial collapse. It saves a little more than $1 million a year,
baptistnews.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:23 PM
When BNG reported the North American Mission Board was cancelling life‑insurance coverage it long promised to forced retirees, NAMB described the move as painful but responsible “stewardship."
So we went looking at the means.
baptistnews.com/article/insi...
So we went looking at the means.
baptistnews.com/article/insi...
Is this what living in a "superpower" country looks like?
@rickpidcock.bsky.social talks with Martha Bardwell, a #Minneapolis pastor who was at the scene, about yesterday's killing of #ReneeNicoleGood by an ICE agent. Don't miss Episode 90 of HIGHEST POWER, out now.
🎧: apple.co/3YrYgmW
@rickpidcock.bsky.social talks with Martha Bardwell, a #Minneapolis pastor who was at the scene, about yesterday's killing of #ReneeNicoleGood by an ICE agent. Don't miss Episode 90 of HIGHEST POWER, out now.
🎧: apple.co/3YrYgmW
January 9, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Is this what living in a "superpower" country looks like?
@rickpidcock.bsky.social talks with Martha Bardwell, a #Minneapolis pastor who was at the scene, about yesterday's killing of #ReneeNicoleGood by an ICE agent. Don't miss Episode 90 of HIGHEST POWER, out now.
🎧: apple.co/3YrYgmW
@rickpidcock.bsky.social talks with Martha Bardwell, a #Minneapolis pastor who was at the scene, about yesterday's killing of #ReneeNicoleGood by an ICE agent. Don't miss Episode 90 of HIGHEST POWER, out now.
🎧: apple.co/3YrYgmW
"AI will reshape Christianity less by replacing faith than by rewriting the conditions of trust: Who gets to speak with authority, what counts as authentic and whether communities can still recognize truth."
baptistnews.com/article/ai-i...
#ai #news #christianity #pastors
baptistnews.com/article/ai-i...
#ai #news #christianity #pastors
AI is coming for your pastor and your trust – Baptist News Global
In this new year, an unexpected presence will slip into many church sanctuaries, quietly and almost politely.
baptistnews.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:11 PM
"AI will reshape Christianity less by replacing faith than by rewriting the conditions of trust: Who gets to speak with authority, what counts as authentic and whether communities can still recognize truth."
baptistnews.com/article/ai-i...
#ai #news #christianity #pastors
baptistnews.com/article/ai-i...
#ai #news #christianity #pastors
Today being the 5th anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, let's look back a 2025 report by @marabim.bsky.social on the concerning amount of Christian nationalist flags hung outside offices at the U.S. Capitol.
bit.ly/3FUZ4dZ
bit.ly/3FUZ4dZ
A visual guide to the elected officials who fly Christian nationalist flags at the Capitol – Baptist News Global
I walked by every single elected official’s office to document exactly which of them fly Christian nationalist flags.
bit.ly
January 6, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Today being the 5th anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, let's look back a 2025 report by @marabim.bsky.social on the concerning amount of Christian nationalist flags hung outside offices at the U.S. Capitol.
bit.ly/3FUZ4dZ
bit.ly/3FUZ4dZ
"The Epstein Files completely shatter the narrative that society is just or moral. Epstein haunts the public imagination because it threatens the public perception that leaders actually care for people."
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The Epstein Files and the theology of justice – Baptist News Global
However, there is another form of collective trauma many would rather avoid naming altogether: The Epstein Files.
baptistnews.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:45 PM
"The Epstein Files completely shatter the narrative that society is just or moral. Epstein haunts the public imagination because it threatens the public perception that leaders actually care for people."
baptistnews.com/article/the-...
baptistnews.com/article/the-...
“Being gay is not a superpower,” one person wrote on social media. Immediately, my heart sank.
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baptistnews.com/article/of-c...
Of course, evangelicals are complaining about Stranger Things – Baptist News Global
“Being gay is not a superpower,” one person wrote on social media. Immediately, my heart sank, says Rick Pidcock.
baptistnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:22 PM
“Being gay is not a superpower,” one person wrote on social media. Immediately, my heart sank.
baptistnews.com/article/of-c...
baptistnews.com/article/of-c...
The University of Oklahoma graduate assistant who was accused by a student of religious discrimination has told her side of the story for the first time and claims she was the victim of a political campaign.
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OU graduate assistant says she was target of political campaign – Baptist News Global
The OU graduate assistant who was accused by a student of religious discrimination claims she was the victim of a political campaign.
baptistnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:25 PM
The University of Oklahoma graduate assistant who was accused by a student of religious discrimination has told her side of the story for the first time and claims she was the victim of a political campaign.
baptistnews.com/article/ou-g...
baptistnews.com/article/ou-g...
"The white American church is doing what white Christians have been doing for the past century: playing footsie with fascism."
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Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition – Baptist News Global
Trump is determined to seize control of a one-party state while he still holds the reins. Strap in folks, 2026 is bound to be a wild ride.
baptistnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:25 PM
"The white American church is doing what white Christians have been doing for the past century: playing footsie with fascism."
baptistnews.com/article/prai...
baptistnews.com/article/prai...
Looking for a new #podcast for the new year? Check out HIGHEST POWER: Church + State—a BNG podcast examining the intersection of faith and politics at the highest levels of power. New episodes out every Monday and Thursday! Hosted by @rickpidcock.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Highest Power: Church + State
Christianity Podcast · Updated Weekly · A podcast from Baptist News Global examining the intersection of faith and politics at the highest levels of power. Hosted by Rick Pidcock.
podcasts.apple.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Looking for a new #podcast for the new year? Check out HIGHEST POWER: Church + State—a BNG podcast examining the intersection of faith and politics at the highest levels of power. New episodes out every Monday and Thursday! Hosted by @rickpidcock.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...