News

After the pastor of a black Baptist church in Virginia tested positive for COVID-19, the church attacked local media for reporting on his case and how he may have put others in the community at risk. The pastor joins a number of clergy members across the country struck by the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus.

As the coronavirus pandemic grows around the world, numerous countries are enacting new restrictions that impact the lives of Baptists in those places. For Baptists in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark and Norway, Baptists are adapting how to do worship since large in-person gatherings are prohibited.

Early spring coincides with at least three major religious holidays — Easter, Passover and, this year, the beginning of Ramadan. All three — or at least public events surrounding them — could be disrupted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.

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.