News

A conservative Christian group used inaccurate claims to blast the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri as a Nazi. Quinton Lucas, a Baptist who serves as the third black mayor of Kansas City, drew attention after creating a broad policy designed to track the spread of the outbreak.

The National Day of Prayer, like most events amid the coronavirus, will have a different look this year as it is marked today (May 7). Now in its 69th year, the observance will feature interfaith and even international voices on computer screens and cellphones.

Insurance companies that Religion News Service spoke with said most plans do not cover pandemic-related incidents such as disease-related deaths. Insurers acknowledged that the decision to open a house of worship carries considerable risk.

Few knew him by name, but many saw his signature handiwork on the sides of the road or in media images from scenes of tragedy — squat, white wooden crosses with the names of gun victims scrawled in black ink.

As incoming BWA President Tomás Mackey considers the impact of coronavirus in Argentina and around the world, he thinks this could be a critical Kairos moment for Baptists to live out the call of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:16: “make the most of every opportunity (Kairos), because the days are evil.”

A group of three dozen rabbis signed an open letter urging Jews in Missouri to invoke religious beliefs in order to vote absentee during the coronavirus outbreak. The argument in the letter could be critical to allowing more people to vote without visiting a polling place during the pandemic.

Potential costs are hindering some U.S. adults from seeking medical care for symptoms associated with COVID-19, according to a Gallup report published April 28.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom had the right to ban church assemblies in the interest of public health during the coronavirus outbreak, a federal judge ruled on May 5.

Evergreen Baptist Church in Bixby, Okla., plans to reopen its building May 17 for an in-person worship service – but only for those age 55 and older.

Although some commentators in the U.S. point to Sweden as an alternative example of how to respond to the coronavirus with fewer restrictions, for Baptists in that country, worship and ministry has been impacted in ways similar to U.S. churches.