Unsettling Advent 2022, Day 1
For day 1 of our Unsettling Advent devotionals, Brian Kaylor reflects on the importance of learning from those who have lived under authoritarian occupation like what is happening today in Ukraine.
World Council of Churches Head Meets With Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill
The acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches met this week with Patriarch Kirill, the Russian Orthodox Church head who has drawn global criticism for lending spiritual support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The meeting followed months of controversy surrounding the Russian Orthodox
Baptist Pastor & Wife Kidnapped in Ukraine
A Baptist pastor and his wife remain missing after being kidnapped Sept. 21 from their church in Russian-occupied Mariupol, Forum 18 news service reported Oct. 6.
Sacrifices on an Altar of Christian Nationalism
Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has co-opted the vision of the sacrifice of Jesus to bless a false rite of military sacrifice. In this bloody vision of Christian Nationalism, we find many warnings. So, in this issue of A Public Witness, we
Gathering in Latvia, European Baptists Focus on War
Brian Kaylor reports from the 2022 general council of the European Baptist Federation in Riga, Latvia. A focus of the gathering is the war on Ukraine and how to support believers in the nation and refugees fleeing to other countries.
At World Council of Churches Gathering, Russian Church Keeps Its Membership
After a sometimes tense week that included passionate exchanges, the 11th assembly of the World Council of Churches approved a statement regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that denounces the war but does not single out the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, who
‘About 400’ Baptist Churches Lost in Russia’s War on Ukraine
About 400 Ukrainian Baptist congregations have been lost in Russia’s war on Ukraine, said Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary President Yaroslav Pyzh, who is working to restore pastoral leadership to impacted cities.
Priesthood, Politics and Propaganda: One Clergyman’s Life in War-Torn Ukraine
For many Ukrainian Orthodox Christians, and clergy in particular, the question of religious identity in relationship to the Russian Orthodox Church is both personal and political. What is a chaplain’s answer to men and women who have chosen to defend a country under siege since
Polish Baptists Minister to Ukrainian Refugees
We published two new episodes of Baptist Without an Adjective featuring conversations with Polish Baptist pastors talking about their nation and efforts to minister to Ukrainian refugees. Episode 161 is with Mateusz Wichary of Warsaw, and episode 162 is with Henryk Skrzypkowski of Chelm.
Global Baptists Pass Resolution Affirming Slavery Reparations
During the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance in Birmingham, Alabama, members of the body’s general council passed resolutions on the war in Ukraine, last year’s coup in Myanmar, racial justice, and slavery reparations.