News

Twenty-five years after a hopeful vision for addressing gender inequities around the world was adopted, progress has been made, but impacts have been uneven, and persistent inequalities and human rights abuses remain.

Bekah Stoneking isn’t the only one who thinks the world might need a little Christmas now. And several people have shared similar epiphanies (pun intended) on Twitter.

Rev. Bryan Catherman's neighbors were crying Wednesday, afraid the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Salt Lake City, Utah, a few hours earlier signaled the end of the world.

As countries around the world deal with the growing coronavirus pandemic, some U.S. leaders have used rhetoric denounced by Baptists and others as racist. The rhetoric continues despite the World Health Organization recommending against names for illnesses that include a geographic or ethnic reference because it could spark discrimination and even hate crimes.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, many historic Hispanic Catholic sites are limiting access — or outright closing — to pilgrims seeking a last hope prayer. The cancellations come even as Catholics seek divine protection — in the form of healing sand, holy water or a direct prayer to a saint — from the pandemic.

On Wednesday (March 19), Trump administration officials continued to call out those who have violated government recommendations to avoid meeting in groups larger than 10 people. But they said little about the subset of faith communities that is resisting their guidance:

Elie Haddad, president of Arab Baptist Theological Seminary told Word&Way the school has moved coursework from on-campus to online, and they asked staff to mostly work from home.

As governmental and health officials across the U.S. warned last week about the need for social distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the U.S., some pastors openly scoffed at the suggestions of canceling — but now even many of those pastors have announced changes.

Religious beliefs are being used as justification for discriminatory actions across the world, a trend highlighted in a report published on March 2 by the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Through the years, many debt programs have surfaced that promise financial freedom if the subscriber follows all of the steps. But what about the individuals who have incurred debt that has no end in sight in an amount that is beyond consolidation?