WASHINGTON (RNS)—President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office were filled with change and controversy. And for many Americans, it appears too much.

The new president signed a record number of executive orders that included banning diversity efforts, feuded with some of the nation’s largest universities, launched high-profile deportations and imposed tariffs that sent the stock market yo-yoing.

More than half (59 percent) said they disapprove of how Trump has done his job, with a similar (59 percent) number disapproving of his tariffs, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center, based on a survey of 3,589 U.S. adults in early April.

More than half also disapprove of cuts to federal agencies (55 percent) and diversity, equity and inclusion programs (53 percent).

White evangelicals the exception

One group, however, seems to see his administration’s efforts more positively.

Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of evangelicals indicated they approve of Trump’s job performance, as well as his actions on DEI programs (75 percent) and cuts to federal agencies (75 percent). About two-thirds (67 percent) approve of his tariff policies, according to the report released April 28.

“White evangelicals clearly stand out on Trump’s approval rating on various issues,” said Chip Rotolo, a research associate on Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life team. “Clear majorities of white evangelicals approve of what Trump and his administration are doing.”

Other faith groups appeared more skeptical. Seventy-three percent of Hispanic Catholics, 85 percent of Black Protestants and 74 percent of the religiously unaffiliated—also known as nones—said they disapproved of Trump’s performance.

White Catholics and white Protestants who are not evangelical essentially split down the middle, with 51 percent of Christians disapproving of Trump’s job performance, the report showed.

Pew Research also found Trump’s approval rating has declined by about 7 percentage points among several religious groups since his inauguration.

Faith groups mirror partisan divisions

Rotolo said the faith group results mirrored the nation’s partisan divides. Evangelicals predominantly identity as Republicans, while Black Protestants, nones and Hispanic Catholics lean Democratic.

Evangelicals also are more likely to find Trump trustworthy, according to the report. More than half (57 percent) said they trust the current president’s words more than those of past presidents.

By contrast, two-thirds of Black Protestants (65 percent) and nones (64 percent) said they trust Trump’s words less than those of other presidents, as do 45 percent of Catholics.

White evangelicals are also more likely than other Americans to see Trump administration leaders as ethical.

“Around seven in 10 white evangelicals rate the ethics of top Trump administration officials as good (35 percent) or excellent (34 percent),” according to the Pew report. “By contrast, among the public overall, most (62 percent) rate the ethics of the Trump administration as only fair or poor.”

White Catholics (54 percent) said they approved of Trump’s actions on DEI, as did 49 percent of white Protestants who are not evangelical. Majorities of those groups also approved of cuts to federal agencies, but they were split over tariffs.

By contrast, most Black Protestants indicated they disapprove of Trump’s actions on DEI programs (80 percent), cuts to federal agencies (84 percent) and Trump’s tariffs (82 percent). More than two-thirds of Hispanic Catholics and nones also disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of those topics, according to the report.

White evangelicals key to Trump election

White evangelicals and other white Christians played a key role in Trump’s return to the White House, especially in swing states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and white evangelicals have long been among the president’s strongest supporters.

Overall, 59 percent of white Christians approve of Trump’s job performance, while 40 percent disapprove, according to additional analysis from Pew. By contrast, most Black Christians (83 percent) and Hispanic Christians (66 percent) disapprove.

And more than half (55 percent) of white Christians said Trump administration leaders have either excellent or good ethics, while only 10 percent of Black Christians, 28 percent of Hispanic Christians and 23 percent of the nones agreed.

White Christians overall are more likely to approve of Trump’s actions on DEI (62 percent), cuts to federal agencies (62 percent), and tariffs (56 percent) than other faith groups in the Pew report.

Despite their approval rate staying strong, Trump’s positive reviews among white evangelicals dropped from 78 percent in February to 72 percent in April, according to the report.

Among Black Protestants, his approval dropped from 18 percent to 10 percent. And among white Catholics, Trump’s approval dropped from 59 percent in February to 51 percent in April, while among the nones, his approval dropped from 33 percent to 26 percent.

“Both among the U.S. public as a whole and among major religious groups, Trump’s current approval ratings are on par with what they were around the same time in his first term (April 2017),” according to Pew.

Rotolo said Trump’s approval rating among white evangelicals remained high during his first term, staying at about 70 percent or above. The only exception came in January 2021, when Trump’s approval among white evangelicals dropped to 58 percent.

“Roughly three-quarters of white evangelicals approved of how Trump is handling his job as president at various points across his presidency,” he said. “It’s probably likely to stay about where it is unless something major happens.”

Carolina Carro de Mangieri, director of global events and fellowship for the Baptist World Alliance, has accepted the role of chief executive officer/publisher of Editorial Mundo Hispano/Casa Bautista de Publicaciones in El Paso.

Mangieri will conclude her time of service with the BWA following the upcoming 23rd Baptist World Congress in Brisbane, Australia, in July and assume her new role in August.

In addressing the publishing house’s board, Mangieri emphasized the importance of continuing the publishing house’s mission, adapting to technological and cultural changes without losing the essence that has characterized the organization throughout its history.

Editorial Mundo Hispano/Casa Bautista de Publicaciones was founded as the Baptist Spanish Publishing House in 1906 to provide Spanish-language Christian resources.

Mangieri will succeed Raquel Contreras-Smith, who has held the CEO position for the past 12 years.

“I have known Carolina for many years and I am confident that she is the right person to continue our tradition of publishing resources that communicate the message of Jesus Christ and that encourage and support the formation of his disciples,” Contreras said.

Gus Reyes, president of the publishing house’s board of directors, expressed his confidence God brought Mangieri to the position.

“We are very grateful to the Lord for having guided us to Sister Carolina Carro de Mangieri. We trust that she is the person God has provided to continue the mission of Casa Bautista de Publicaciones,” Reyes said.

Since joining the BWA in November 2004, Mangieri has helped shape the BWA’s global events strategy, strengthen member fellowship and advance the mission of BWA around the world.

“We are deeply grateful for Carolina’s faithful service and the creativity, excellence and passion she has brought to our work,” said Elijah M. Brown, BWA general secretary and CEO.

“Her leadership has fostered greater unity, richer fellowship and broader collaboration among our global Baptist family.”

Mangieri key in coordinating international gatherings

Mangieri was instrumental in coordinating numerous international gatherings over the course of her 20 years of service, including two Baptist World Youth Conferences, 15 BWA annual gatherings, four Baptist International Conferences on Theological Education and four Baptist World Congresses.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she facilitated the transition of the 2020 Baptist World Congress—originally scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—to a fully virtual gathering in 2021.

As the most globally diverse gathering in the history of the BWA, the 22nd Baptist World Congress united more than 4,600 registrants from 146 countries across time zones and technology to experience more than 100 hours of worship, prayer, and training.

With a deep family legacy of involvement in the BWA, Mangieri first experienced a BWA gathering at age 10, observing her parents help lead the 1984 Baptist World Youth Conference in her native Argentina.

Eleven years later, she became an active participant in BWA’s global ministry herself, serving on the worship team at the 1995 Baptist World Congress in Buenos Aires.

During her tenure on the BWA staff, she has provided ministerial presence and leadership in 23 countries, assisted with the translation of BWA resources into Spanish, and represented the BWA at many conventions and conferences.

She has been supported throughout the years by her husband David and their three daughters.

“Over the past 20-plus years at the BWA, I have been profoundly blessed to serve and witness the growth and transformation of our global Baptist family,” Mangieri said. “The relationships and experiences I have gained will forever hold a special place in my heart.”

Brown asked Baptists globally to join in prayer for God’s continued blessings on her ministry.

“We celebrate Carolina’s legacy of impact and anticipate all God will continue to do through her new role with Casa Bautista de Publicaciones, a ministry that has been strengthening discipleship for 120 years,” said Brown.

“We look forward to collaborating together in the future as we live out our shared mission to impact the world for Christ.”

Compiled from news releases provided by the Baptist World Alliance and Editorial Mundo Hispano/Casa Bautista de Publicaciones.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Prominent pastor and anti-poverty activist William Barber and two others were arrested while praying in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda April 28.

Barber had described the public prayer as part of a recurring series of demonstrations aimed at challenging the Republican-led budget bill.

The arrests occurred roughly 15 minutes after Barber, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Steve Swayne, director of St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, started praying in the Rotunda as dozens of police stood nearby, some prepared with plastic handcuffs.

The three took turns praying, lamenting potential budget cuts to social safety-net programs such as Medicaid, often chanting together: “Against the conspiracy of cruelty, we plead the power of your mercy.”

“When we cannot depend on the courts and the legislative power of human beings, we can still depend on … the power of your love and your mercy and your truth,” Barber said in the Rotunda as police began to surround him.

While arresting protesters at the Capitol is not unusual, the response to Barber’s prayer was unusually dramatic.

After issuing verbal warnings, dozens of officers expelled everyone in the Rotunda—including credentialed press—and shut the doors, obscuring any view. Press and others were then instructed to leave the floor entirely.

Speaking with RNS shortly after he was released from police custody, Barber—who has a chronic illness that affects his ability to walk—said he was in pain from the prolonged ordeal but his interactions with police were “cordial.”

Barber—founder of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, where he also teaches—said he was handcuffed by police and briefly detained.

While he found the incident unsettling, he hoped it would draw attention to those who will be impacted by potential budget cuts, he said.

“To think that we went in to pray—pray against the budget, but to pray nonetheless—and the order now is that, evidently, if you pray, you are seen as violating the rules of the Rotunda,” he said.

“What we hope is that folks will see this and it will begin to remove some of the fear, and people will understand that this is the time—now—that we must engage in nonviolent direct action to register our discontent.”

Anti-Christian bias?

Reached for comment, a Capitol police spokesperson said Barber and two others were charged with “crowding, obstructing and incommoding.” The spokesperson explained demonstrations in congressional buildings are “not allowed in any form, to include but not limited to sitting, kneeling, group praying, singing, chanting, etc.”

The spokesperson also said the Rotunda is “not a dedicated press area unless it’s for a pre-approved event.”

Some quickly argued that Barber’s arrest appeared incongruous with President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate “anti-Christian bias” in federal agencies.

“Arresting Rev. Barber and others at the Capitol after announcing a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias in government is an absolute travesty,” Anthea Butler, a professor of religion at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a text message.

“Seems like this administration only wants Christians who are supporters of Trump to have access to pray in the Capitol and express their faith.”

She was echoed by Paul Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance and a critic of the Trump administration.

“The arrest of Bishop Barber feels like the most clear example of hypocrisy of the Trump administration when they talk about anti-Christian bias,” Raushenbush said.

“They are not interested in the broad expression of faith as exemplified by Bishop Barber, but rather only Christians approved of by the Trump administration.”

Rally outside Supreme Court building

The arrests followed a rally nearby outside the U.S. Supreme Court building, where Barber rallied with other clergy and faith leaders, as well as federal workers who lost their jobs, to condemn the GOP-led budget.

Speakers at the rally, which was organized by Repairers of the Breach, focused specifically on how the budget would impact women and children.

“Forty-three percent of women and almost half of all children are poor and low income,” Barber told the crowd, citing an assessment of Economic Policy Institute data. “Somebody ought to say something.”

Speakers expressed particular concerns about potential cuts to Medicaid, for which some conservatives have advocated. But on Monday, speakers noted a dozen House Republicans recently sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson opposing cuts to Medicaid.

“Soften the hearts of representatives, like the 12 who wrote to the speaker today,” Wilson-Hartgrove, an author and activist, said while praying in the Rotunda. “Twelve Republicans asking their speaker to not cut Medicaid. We ask you to move all those hearts, Lord.”

A Repairers of the Breach spokesperson acknowledged in a statement that the three people were arrested in the Rotunda after the rally, while “practicing their First Amendment rights.”

Contrast with Sean Feucht event

The police response to the group’s actions on Monday contrasted sharply with another worship service in the same space in March 2023, when far-right musician and activist Sean Feucht led an evening worship service that included participation from lawmakers such as Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

Unlike Barber’s prayer service, Feucht’s took place in the evening after most people had left the Capitol, and whether or not it was sanctioned is unclear. Feucht has claimed to have “snuck in” to the Rotunda to hold worship on multiple occasions, but Capitol Police declined to specify whether the specific incident was permitted.

However, Feucht’s event was significantly longer than Barber’s brief prayer session, and while police occasionally spoke with participants, no one was arrested.

“We prayed in public today because the cries of the people who will be hurt by this immoral budget must be heard,” Wilson-Hartgrove told RNS in a text message, after he and Swayne were released from police custody.

“I’m not sure why some citizens are allowed to pray in the Rotunda and others can’t, but I pray as part of my pastoral responsibilities.”

Asked about the discrepancy, a Capitol Police spokesperson said they were unfamiliar with the Feucht event but said it was likely approved ahead of time, “especially if a member of Congress was involved and if it was after hours when the building was generally closed to the general public.”

Barber, meanwhile, was met by police as he marched toward the Capitol with a group of clergy and others from the Supreme Court. He was eventually allowed into the Rotunda, but only after dozens of officers were positioned outside the entrance to the historic room before he arrived.

Despite the intensity of the response, Barber said he is unmoved and plans to continue demonstrating—and praying—in the weeks to come.

“Just as Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers, so we have to be willing to put our bodies on the line,” he said. “I pray that impacted people will (come)—again, not to go to get arrested, but to arrest the attention of the nation.”

NASHVILLE (BP)—Although a recent Pew Research study says more teens are becoming aware of the negative effects of social media, that doesn’t mean they’re ready for anything resembling a large-scale break from it.

The study says nearly half (48 percent) of teens say social media sites have a mostly negative effect on peers, an increase from 32 percent who said so in 2022. The increase could be linked to a focus on mental health among teens, who have turned to platforms like TikTok for information on the subject.

The 16-point swing in such a short time toward seeing social media as a negative influence on mental health may lead to the conclusion that teens are on the cusp of a movement away from it. However, the same study also revealed only 14 percent of teens felt social media affected them personally in a negative way.

In other words, it’s everyone else’s problem.

That points to social media’s cultural hold not just on teens, but on society in general, said Chris Martin.

Martin, director of content for Moody Global Media and author of The Wolf in Their Pockets: 13 Ways the Social Internet Threatens the People You Lead, wonders about the correlation between social media sentiment and its use.

“I have found what teenagers say about their social media usage and their actual practices to be at odds,” he said.

So, that doesn’t mean teens are using it less.

“People engage in habits and substances they think are bad for them, because they are afraid of what may happen if they stop,” Martin said.

‘It’s not going away’

Social media has become much more than staying in touch with friends, said Zac Workun, a Lifeway Student Ministry training specialist based in Tulsa, Okla. It is where they get education as well as entertainment.

“It’s not going away,” Workun said. “Teens may not be aspiring to be the influencers we thought they would, but TikTok and YouTube have become their key media platforms for learning about the world.”

Teens’ mixed feelings about the negative effects of social media may be the reason flip phones have seen a resurgence, “but they’re probably not going to quit it,” Workun said.

While more teens are acknowledging how social media can affect one’s mental health negatively, Workun pointed out another factor observed more often by student ministry leaders.

“They’re distracted,” he said. “Even if in the room, so many of them aren’t present. Adults can also be guilty of that, of course. We’ll try to be in multiple places at once and on our phones to answer an email or text.”

Many youth ministries create “phone-free zones” to keep kids’ attention in the room.

A significant number of teens said social media hurt the amount of sleep they get (45 percent) and their productivity (40 percent).

However, they also said social media helped rather than harmed friendships, 30 percent to 7 percent. Most (43 percent) described such platforms’ effects in neutral terms.

And while 44 percent of teens said they have cut back on their social media and smartphone use—an increase from 39 percent for social media and 36 percent for phone use in 2023—more than half (55 percent) say they have not cut back on either.

Debbie Potter, incumbent first vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, will be nominated as BGCT president at Texas Baptists’ annual meeting, Nov. 16-18 in Abilene.

Incumbent president Ronny Marriott, pastor of First Baptist Church in Richardson, announced his plans to nominate Potter, children’s pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio.

Marriott praised Potter as a proven leader who understands Texas Baptists, having served as second vice president and first vice president of the state convention.

‘Brings a lot to the table’

He described Potter as “a people magnet” who others enjoy being with because they are “comfortable around her and feel valued by her.”

“She brings a lot to the table,” Marriott said.

He pointed to her denominational service and her more than two decades of experience in ministry to children at Trinity Baptist Church.

“She understands the need to reach the next generation,” he said, adding she has written books, curriculum, articles, children’s sermons and other resources for ministry to children and their families.

Potter is “a champion for children and a champion for women in ministry” who is “secure in her call,” Marriott said.

If elected, Potter will be the third woman to serve as BGCT president and the first woman who serves in a pastoral role on a church staff to become president.

Joy Fenner, a former missionary and longtime executive-director treasurer of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas, was BGCT president in 2007-2008. Kathy Hillman, director of Baptist collections and library advancement at Baylor University and director of Baylor’s Keston Center for Religion, Politics and Society, was BGCT president in 2014-2015.

Potter said she wants to encourage and support women in ministry at a time in Baptist life when some have experienced a “glass ceiling” preventing them from assuming key leadership roles and fulfilling their potential.

“These are women who just want to serve their churches and do what God has called them to do and given them the gifts to do,” she said.

‘Strengthen and help families that need help’

Potter expressed appreciation for the ministries to children and families offered by agencies and institutions related to the BGCT, as well as those provided by Texas Baptist churches.

At the same time, she would like to see a more coordinated and focused effort, particularly to serve children and families in crisis.

“We need to strengthen and help families that need help,” she said.

As a volunteer chaplain with Child Protective Services in San Antonio, Potter also pointed to the need to support and encourage social services personnel who are “on the front lines.”

Potter has ministered to children and families since 1997, serving six years at Parkhills Baptist Church in San Antonio before joining the Trinity Baptist Church church staff.

She was licensed to the gospel ministry at Parkhills Baptist in 1998 and ordained by Trinity Baptist in 2005.

After completing her undergraduate degree from Southern Nazarene University and a master’s degree from the School of Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio, she earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Andrews University.

She is an adjunct professor at Baptist University of the Américas, where she has mentored international students and preached in chapel.

She is a trustee of Buckner International, and she previously served on the Texas Baptists’ Committee to Nominate Boards of Affiliated Ministries.

She and her husband Robert have two adult children, Chelsea and Chase.

KERRVILLE—To help bring the Bible to life in a fun and innovative way for elementary kids to understand, the children’s ministry at Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville recently put together a gospel-centered escape room.

Families read selected Scripture passages together and solved clues as they embarked on an interactive experience that ultimately led them to find Jesus.

Although this was the first time children’s minister Kellee Parish and her team have put together an event like this, they always are on the lookout for creative ways to reach families with the gospel.

Each year, Trinity Baptist Church hosts Operation Blessing, which provides more than 300 pairs of shoes for children. In December, their church also hosts a drive-thru night in Bethlehem.

“We really wanted to come with something new and a great way to reach families with the gospel,” Parish said. “We were researching ideas, and my assistant came up with the idea for an escape room.

“Our goal specifically was to reach elementary schoolers with the gospel, and our vision was laid out by staying true to the Word as the clues for each room came together.

“I had noticed that our elementary school kids knew the Easter story, but there were holes when they were retelling it to others. This presented a great way for them to clearly see how it all comes together.”

About 80 participated in the escape room

Parish said about 80 people went through the escape room, including a few visitors.

“They went through it as a family and some brought friends,” Parish said. “We purposely did it on a Tuesday night, so we wouldn’t be competing with sports. And we offered pizza following the event, so families could enjoy a meal together.

“It was very family-oriented. There were a lot of fun elements, and the kids especially enjoyed wrapping their parents in toilet paper when they got to the tomb scene. We also offered photo op’s at the end with the characters dressed in their costumes.”

Based on the response to this year’s event, Parish said her team already is working on developing an escape room for next year and says she would encourage other churches to consider doing similar outreaches.

“We had 12 to 15 volunteers on the team, and they helped with things like putting the clues together and dressing up in costumes for the different scenes in each room,” Parish said.

“The hardest part was coming up with the clues. Everyone really enjoyed this event, and it was a team effort. All these Sunday school teachers jumped in and wanted to be a part of this event and that was great to see.”

Designed to present the complete gospel story

Parish and her team already are thinking of how they can make the escape room different and better for next year.

“Both kids and their parents had a great time. It was a beautiful picture seeing families reading the Scriptures together and seeing them put all the clues together and discovering how the gospel is laid out,” she said.

“As families walked through each room, they discovered the gospel story in its entirety. That was our main goal to present the complete picture of the gospel story to them and why we do what we do.

“For other churches considering an event like this, I would encourage them to just do it. Sometimes it’s hard to think out of the box, but as long as you are staying true to telling the story of Jesus, stay true to that and be creative.”

She called the escape room “a great opportunity to reach families with the gospel.” Compared to the church’s drive-thru Bethlehlem, which draws about 250 families, and Operation Blessing, which provides more than 300 pairs of shoes for children, she said it was “one of the easiest events we have put together.”

“Those are big events for our community,” she said. “We’re a little community, less of a city, but we do the best things together as a team and desire to see the gospel shared in creative ways to reach our community.”

ABILENE—New frontlines affecting Baptists are emerging around the world, Elijah Brown, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, asserted during his Pinson Lecture on Baptist distinctives at Hardin-Simmons University, April 23.

As Baptists enter the emerging frontlines to make disciples in the authority of Jesus—a reference to the earlier part of his lecture—Brown offered three ways they should proceed: with bold witness, prophetic courage and prioritizing suffering people.

Bold witness

Unreached people already number more than 3 billion, with 123,000 people born every day without access to a gospel witness.

“We are to live as missionary people,” Brown asserted, noting, “a BWA distinctive is that we believe every Baptist is a missionary.”

Brown encouraged each person to turn to a neighbor and say, “I am a missionary.”

Then, he told of a pastor in India who had pastored the church started by William Carey. The pastor burned out, resigned his position and moved across town. Having never had the option to sleep in on Sunday morning before, his daughter asked if they could try it just once.

He agreed but found himself pacing the room that Sunday morning, unsure of what to do with himself, when an elder woman knocked at his door.

Brown said she asked the pastor to pray for her, but he responded he was not presently a pastor.

“There is no other church,” she said, declaring, “As long as you live here, you will be my pastor.”

He invited her in and began a church in his living room.

The church now supports 22 missionaries across India and runs more than 2,500 in attendance.

“What if your church did that?” Brown asked.

Prophetic courage

 Prophetic courage is not the easy route, Brown said. It’s easier to “sit in silence or parrot the prevailing power.”

“But as we abide in the authority of Jesus, we can affirm that the kingdom of God is not built with nationalism,” he continued.

In 1923, the Baptist world adopted a resolution asserting Baptists throughout their history have been champions of religious liberty, Brown pointed out.

The resolution also said a union of church and state is inconsistent with religious freedom, which is based on the “spiritual principle of free choice, while the state rests upon law with an ultimate appeal to physical force.”

But, Brown asserted, “the kingdom of God is not built by nationalism, including Christian nationalism.”

The gospel isn’t advanced by demonizing or threatening those with different political views, he said. Neither is the church saved by those who “wield political power in the name of protecting the church.”

The mission of God isn’t advanced by lust of power, fear, promulgating dishonesty, state protections or “the idolatry of nationalism.

“These are not fruit of the Spirit,” Brown said.

So why do so many people of faith “christen” and “champion violence?” he asked.

Brown also asked why so many believers “bless the bullet, exalt the missile, extol nuclear arms, sanctify the invasion and if need be, pick up the sword and gun to participate themselves?”

Often, he answered, it’s not about religion, but power, arrogance or rising “xenophobic nationalism wrapped in the name of religion.”

In lament, he requested for “you and I as people of faith to work to build public peace guided by the disruptive power of the fruits of the Spirit.”

For 400 years, Brown emphasized, Baptists have held the antidote to nationalism is religious freedom for everyone, maintained by a separation of church and state.

“As we abide in the authority of Jesus, let us also affirm the kingdom of God is not built with ethno-centrism and racial identity,” Brown said.

He provided numerous examples of members of the Baptist family around the globe who have faced persecution and dehumanization from racist and ethnocentric practices.

But, “we must continue to live unapologetically for restorative racial justice as reconciled humanity … as a mark of the overflowing generosity of God’s creation,” he said.

“The antidote for racism is flourishing freedom that embraces restorative justice in God’s multiethnic church,” he said.

Prioritizing suffering people

“Jesus stands with the suffering,” Brown said. “And we long to be with Jesus.”

Jesus, the suffering servant, rose as the “Wounded Healer,” and his wounds are “deep enough to heal the wounds of the world,” Brown said.

He noted the rapid deceleration of humanitarian aid around the world in the past 100 days, noting the United States has led the effort, but other major givers have followed.

Yet, humanitarian needs around the world have accelerated with increasing violence and displacements. While many BWA congregations have stepped into the gaps to meet needs in their communities, they lack sufficient resources.

Brown pointed to the first church in Acts 2:45, who sold their property and possessions to give to anyone in need.

It was not “church needs first, other needs second,” Brown noted, but “radical hospitality.”

“Whether in our neighborhood or in the nations,” gospel generosity “was to prioritize people who are suffering,” he said.

“In a world of changing demographics, increasing urbanization, vulnerable democracies and vulnerable people, we are to go and make disciples with bold witness, prophetic courage and prioritizing suffering people,” Brown asserted.

“But the question remains: Will we live as if all authority is in Jesus?”

ABILENE—“Will you live as if all authority belongs to Jesus?” asked Elijah Brown, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, addressing participants of the Pinson Lectures on Baptist distinctives at Hardin-Simmons University, April 23.

Brown began his challenge to faculty, students, alumni and area pastors noting two key distinctives of Baptists.

First, he emphasized Baptists’ “commitment to read, study and follow the teachings of the Bible.”

Second, he noted Baptists’ particular passion for the final words of Jesus, the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:18-20:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Brown said, for months, “all authority in heaven and on earth is in Jesus” had been resonating with him.

“Power and influence are seductive” in this world, but they don’t last. Because all authority belongs to Jesus, neither churches nor individual believers need to worry about building power and authority here, Brown asserted.

Pandemics, disease, demons, sin, governments and the like exercise some authority, but these are “time-limited” authorities, he said.

“Let us not give in to the power of time-limited authorities. They are a smoke, a mask of emptiness,” he continued,noting no power, authority or doubt can overcome Jesus.

“There is no political party, no politician, no principality. There is no appeal to false protection, prestige or pleasure. There is no lie that can overcome the authority of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus alone must be the source of Christians’ authority, identity and being, he contended.

Besides, Brown asserted, the church has learned in 2,000 years the time will come, no matter how terrible a situation is in the moment, when “wars will end and politics will change.”

The church also has learned the time comes when every “political, cultural and social trajectory, even those that seem to benefit the church, will change.”

“The call to relationships of gospel witness and just peace supersedes political boundaries. Even when it is difficult, most especially when it is difficult, we must work to build relationships and give gospel witness,” because the seeds planted by that witness, through the Holy Spirit, will yield fruit in the proper time, he proclaimed.

Christ followers are not time-limited, but eternally bound, so “let us live by the time and authority of eternity.”

“All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus,” he repeated.

The kingdoms of this world will crumble—including their economic exploitation, rampant militarism and ongoing oppressions, he said.

But, Brown admonished, let the church live, in the words of Scott McKnight, as “dissident disciples” whose politics are “a politics for others,” joy-filled, bearing “witness to the reality that all authority on heaven and earth is in Jesus,” Brown said.

“Therefore, go and make disciples.”

Looking toward “the nations,” and making disciples, Brown illuminated emerging frontlines.

Changing demographics

The Baptist family is shifting to outside of Europe and North America.

Baptists have declined by 1 percent in Europe and the Middle East and 5 percent in North American in the past 10 years, while seeing growth of 32 percent in the Asian Pacific, 13 percent in Latin America and 112 percent in Africa.

“Are we building toward a Baptist identity as a worldwide movement with worldwide concerns with our largest demographic base in Africa?” Brown asked.

Africa and India are where the greatest population increases also will be seen in the next 30 years, with growth of more than 1 billion people expected.

Increased urbanization

A first in history, 55 percent of the world lives in urban areas. By 2050, 68 percent of the world’s population will live in cities, including megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants, such as Lagos, Nigeria; Beijing, China; Mexico City, Mexico; and Los Angeles.

In 10 years, the number of megacities will grow from 33 to 39. Asia will be home to 20 of the 39 megacities. Twenty megacities will be in a country where fewer than 10 percent of the population claims any form of Christianity, and 16 of the megacities will be in countries with fewer than 25,000 Baptists in the entire country.

“The future is urbanization, and it will be disruptive,” because megacities will have an outsize influence on culture, economics and the extent to which the world lives in peace, Brown noted.

Vulnerable people and democracies

More people are on the move today than at any time in history, with more than 100 million forcibly displaced and 281 million international migrants.

One in every four Baptists faces persecution, war, violence and hunger—living and ministering in the most vulnerable contexts. Even with recent improvements, great gaps in resources remain.

The average GDP among Baptists per region in U.S. dollars is:

• Africa—$1,482
• Asia Pacific—$18,425
• Caribbean—$9,267
• Europe and the Middle East—$21,811
• Latin America—$7,279
• North America—$49,683

“The world is becoming increasingly vulnerable,” Brown noted. “And as a result, it will become increasingly violent. Dangerous undercurrents are at work, and some people of faith are allowing themselves to be either too complacent or too associated with one political party or the other.”

Brown offered three ways to respond to these emerging frontlines in the second half of his lecture.

Crossing the border from Uganda to South Sudan reveals the difference between poverty and extreme poverty.

When Mitch Chapman first visited South Sudan a couple of years ago, he said God “showed me poverty that I’ve not seen anywhere else.” And as director of Texans on Mission Water Impact, Chapman has spent much time in Africa.

“Even in comparison to the places we’re working in Uganda, South Sudan is so much poorer and in so much worse shape,” he said.

In April, Texans on Mission created a nonprofit in South Sudan to address the extreme water needs. The Texas-based ministry is the primary funder, and Chapman is on the board of directors.

The nonprofit’s eight-person staff is made up of people with South Sudan roots who have worked with Texans and Ugandans on Mission. The new entity, South Sudanese on Mission, is headquartered in Nyamliell. It is basically a one-year project to determine longer term viability, Chapman said.

“Our goal this year is to try to do 35 well rehabs with four or five new wells, depending on what can be negotiated,” he said. “And that would mean 40 new Bible studies and 40 hygiene classes.”

Rehabilitation of existing but nonworking wells is a priority. In Aweil West County, Chapman said there are 684 water wells and 285 are nonoperational. Texans on Mission did not drill those wells.

Before the beginning of a civil war in 2013, “organizations went and drilled a lot of wells over there, but we found out a lot of them weren’t deep enough, and they didn’t use good quality materials,” Chapman said.

Following the model established in Uganda

South Sudanese on Mission will refit those nonfunctioning wells and start Bible studies and hygiene classes in each village, following the model established in neighboring Uganda.

Chapman and local leaders spent the first week in April on staff training and administration. “But by Week 2, we’d already started to meet [for] Bible studies at four of the rehab sites.”

The Bible studies are started “independent of how many churches there are in an area,” he said. “We start a Bible study, and the people take it upon themselves to pick the church they want to go to. We don’t dictate whether it’s a Baptist church, a Methodist church or Pentecostal.

“We just teach the word [of God], and our lessons are very much about discipleship and spiritual growth. When we determine there’s not a church in the area, then we go to local church associations and encourage them to sponsor a church around the well site.”

The South Sudanese team also includes a hygiene specialist who makes sure the people “know how to wash their hands, how to clean the wellhead, how important it is not to let the goats drink from the water spigot itself,” he said. “It’s a critical component of the holistic effort.”

The work is now in an implementation phase. “We haven’t rehabbed or drilled the first well, but we’re already at work teaching the Bible, making disciples and teaching good hygiene practices.”

The biggest challenge facing the ministry is political instability, so Chapman asked Christians to pray for the South Sudanese on Mission staff and more generally for the people of the country.

“We have no involvement with either side in the political dispute,” he said. “But the political situation does impact the lives of the people and the effectiveness of our work.

“Pray that we can help meet the water needs in South Sudan, lead people to faith in Christ, and develop believers for service to God and their neighbors.”

WASHINGTON (RNS)—The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments April 22 in a case set to determine the extent to which families can control what materials their children are exposed to in public school, as parents argued that learning from certain books may violate their religious beliefs.

Mahmoud v. Taylor was brought in 2022, after Maryland’s largest school district, Montgomery County Public Schools, introduced a fleet of books centering LGBTQ+ characters to their English language arts curriculum.

The parents suing the district are led by Tamer Mahmoud and Enas Barakat, who are Muslim and removed their son from public school after a lower court sided against them. They are arguing against the school district and Superintendent Thomas Taylor.

As the court heard the case, parents and activists on both sides of the issue rallied outside, with many citing their faith as reasoning.

The Supreme Court seemed to signal its support for the religious rights of the parents against the district and is likely to determine it cannot require students to attend lessons involving books their parents have religious objections to, the Associated Press reported. A decision is expected by early summer.

Parents ask for right to ‘opt out’

The books, which are part of the county’s “culturally responsible collection,” are currently mandatory curricular items for kindergarten through fifth-grade students.

The titles include Born Ready: A Boy Named Penelope by Jodie Patterson and Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen, which feature LGBTQ+ characters.

Other books in the collection introduce students to a variety of cultures, such as Sunday With Savta by Wiley Blevins, about a Jewish family, and I am Hua Mulan by Qin Wenjun, set in China.

An interfaith group of parents—representing Catholic, Muslim, Ukrainian Orthodox and other faiths—is not suing for removal of the books with LGBTQ+ characters from the curriculum, said Wael Elkoshairi, a former Montgomery County Public Schools parent who is Muslim.

Rather, they are asking the court to codify a right to “opt out” of specific materials the families deem offensive to their religious beliefs, and that they receive prior notification of any classroom instructions involving the content.

“We are asking for accommodation. We did not ask them to remove the books or change their curriculum,” said Elkoshairi, who is now sending his daughter to private school. “Teachers are reading books that contradict some of our religious beliefs.”

Elkoshairi spoke to approximately 35 parental religious rights proponents who gathered outside the Supreme Court for a rally while the case was being heard. Many held up brightly colored posters with slogans such as “Restore the Opt-Out,” “Let Kids be Kids” and “Let Parents Parent.”

‘Parents know their children best’

The parents said they consider the inclusion of books with LGBTQ+ themes to be premature introductions to religiously sensitive topics, effectively inhibiting their ability to raise their children in line with their faith practices.

“Parents know their children best,” said Grace Morrison, a plaintiff in the case and Catholic mother of seven.

“We understand their unique needs, their strengths and their vulnerabilities. No government authority should be able to override our fundamental duty to guide our children’s education consistent with our beliefs.

“Today, we ask the Supreme Court to protect our freedom to raise our children according to our faith. A child’s innocence, once lost, is gone forever.”

Morrison said she joined the lawsuit because she has a daughter with Down syndrome and her disability made explaining LGBTQ+ subject matter in relation to their family’s Catholic beliefs difficult.

“The school board has taken away my family’s ability to raise her according to our faith. Given her learning challenges, she struggles to grasp why her parents and teachers might disagree,” Morrison said.

“This makes it nearly impossible for my husband and me to explain the conflicts that arise when a teacher says something that contradicts our faith.”

Lower courts sided with the school district

The Montgomery County Public Schools current policy prohibits parental notification and opt-outs of such subject matter out of concerns about excessive absenteeism and targeted harassment of LGBTQ+ students and families.

Lower courts have sided with the school district, and a federal appeals court decided the parents had not demonstrated their children’s exposure to the books would violate their religion.

“There is no explicit instruction on gender and sexual identity in elementary school as part of content instruction,” wrote the Montgomery County Public Schools in a list of FAQs on the culturally responsible curriculum.

“Diversifying texts in elementary school will help young people develop empathy for a diverse group of people and learn about identities that might relate to their families or community members.”

The school district added “there is no LGBTQ+ curriculum in elementary schools.” It said that through these books, “students are learning the curriculum indicators outlined for each grade level,” which are meant to help them learn how to determine a theme of a story, summarize text and other reading comprehension skills.

Outside the courthouse, another group of parents and activists gathered less than 50 feet away, rallying in support of the inclusive curriculum. Sponsored by local advocacy organizations Montgomery County Pride Center, Trans Maryland and Live in Your Truth, that rally included about 60 people.

The parents siding with the school district argued that their families and others could be discriminated against if other parents can opt out of the inclusive curriculum. A row of volunteers carrying large rainbow umbrellas stood with their backs to the plaintiff-supporting group, blocking them from view of their rally’s attendees.

Develop critical thinking skills

On a small stage, organizers, religious leaders and community members spoke in support of the LGBTQ+ books. A local drag queen, Javon Love, gave a lively performance to “Free Your Mind“ by En Vogue.

Those supporting the school district represented religious traditions including Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalism, Islam, the Religious Society of Friends and Episcopal denominations, and they cited their religious values in guiding their support of the curriculum.

“I just want people to know that we don’t have to be divided,” said Ali Kofi Bell, a Unitarian Universalist minister and Montgomery County Public Schools parent. “We can have different ideas, different perspectives and different faiths, and still be working for the best interest of all our children.”

Bell said he believed families against the curriculum also feel they are advocating for their children’s best interests—they just have different beliefs about what their children should learn. Moreover, Bell, who is transgender, argued that limiting students’ exposure to diversity through opt-outs can ultimately be harmful to their sense of faith down the line.

“This is how we grow people who have good critical thinking skills, so that they are not just reciting what they believe, but they actually have a belief deeply seated in who they are and how they understand theology,” he said.

Other proponents of the inclusive curriculum consider the case as a harbinger of more extreme limits on public school curricula to come.

“I think it’s shortsighted of parents to try and protect their kids from life,” said Sarah Odderstol, rector at Grace Episcopal Church in Montgomery County.

“Don’t you want to have these conversations with your children? Statistically, you are going to have (LGBTQ+) friends and family in your life, and I think exposure is a good thing.”

She attended the rally to advocate for LGBTQ+ congregants and their families who she said will be negatively affected if the Supreme Court legalizes opt-outs.

“If we start silencing people and censoring what can be taught in public school, everybody’s rights are in trouble,” she said.

Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has increased its enforcement of a law that criminalizes “insulting the religious feelings of believers” as part of the government’s campaign to present itself as the defender of “traditional values.”

“Authorities have subjected those accused of blasphemy to fines, pretrial detention, imprisonment, mandatory community service, deportation, compulsory psychological treatment, and other forms of ill treatment,” a report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom states.

Russia has cracked down on perceived offensive expression toward religion, religious texts and religious leaders, the commission reports in “Prosecuting Blasphemy in Russia,” released April 14.

In doing so, Russia violates basic principles of religious freedom, Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the commission report states.

In 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill that amended Article 148 of Russia’s Criminal Code to criminalize “insulting the religious feelings of believers.” Between 2013 and 2020, arrests for violations of that law produced only 32 convictions, the report notes, but that changed after Russia’s assault on Ukraine in 2022.

“The war refocused the efforts of Russia’s domestic security apparatus to aggressively suppress independent civil society and dissent, especially on the internet,” the report states.

“Authorities began expending considerable time and resources to surveil online content and investigate complaints from ordinary citizens, including about perceived blasphemous content.

“Combating perceived religiously offensive expression served a special role in Russia’s wartime policy objectives of protecting so-called ‘traditional values’ and bolstering anti-Western sentiments.”

Flying the ‘traditional values’ flag to rally support

Putin has used defense of “traditional values” as a way to unify Russia’s ethnically and religiously diverse population and to justify his authoritarian practices, including “systemic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom,” the report asserts.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “protecting so-called ‘traditional values’ became a matter of national security, taking on new ideological and policy significance for the Russian government,” the report states.

“President Putin has used the protection of so-called ‘traditional values’ to justify his country’s 2022 invasion and occupation of Ukraine” and has directed Russia’s domestic security services to defend “traditional values” as a national security priority, the report notes.

“Overall, Russia’s prioritization of protecting ‘traditional values’—coupled with the state’s broader crackdown on opposition to the government, especially online—has resulted in law enforcement more rigorously investigating and prosecuting alleged incidents of blasphemy.”

In addition to the law in the Criminal Code against “insulting the religious feelings of believers,” Russia also has a provision in its Administrative Code to punish the “intentional public desecration, damage, or destruction of religious or liturgical literature, items of religious worship, signs, or emblems of belief symbolism or attributes.”

Authorities also use provisions in the Criminal Code criminalizing “hooliganism” and in the Administrative Code calling for the punishment of “incitement of hatred or enmity” to prosecute perceived religiously offensive speech or actions.

“While states have a duty to combat hate speech and incitement to discrimination, hostility, and violence against individuals or groups, international law sets a high standard for restricting freedom of expression—including on the basis of religion—which Russia does not consistently meet when prosecuting religiously motivated cases through its hate speech laws,” the report states.

Rebuke, maybe; prosecution, no

The commission cites examples of blasphemy law enforcement involving individuals accused of burning a copy of the Qur’an or the New Testament, displaying religious symbols in irreverent ways, posting nude photos taken against the backdrop of a house of worship or a cemetery, or desecrating symbols of Russian military glory.

“While certain offensive statements and actions may warrant public rebuke, prosecuting perceived offensive expression toward religion violates the right to freedom of religion or belief and the right to freedom of opinion and expression under international human rights law,” the report states.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended every year since 2017 the U.S. Department of State designate the Russian Federation as a Country of Particular Concern.

Under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the Country of Particular Concern designation is reserved for nations engaged in systemic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.

The State Department designated Russia as a Country of Particular Concern in 2021, 2022 and 2023 for violations of religious freedom both in Russia and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Houston Christian University’s Beta Beta Beta National Biology Honor Society chapter won several awards at the Beta Beta Beta South Central Regional Convention, held April 4–6 at the Mt. Lebanon Camp in Cedar Hill. Twelve HCU students attended the convention with Lisa Ellis, associate professor of biology, and Curtis Henderson, professor of biology and chair of biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, who co-sponsor HCU’s biology club and Iota Omicron chapter of Tri-Beta. The HCU chapter took home the top award at the convention, Outstanding Chapter of the Year for District II. Ellis, who also serves as the South-Central District II director, won Chapter Advisor of the Year. Sophia Andrade was awarded first place for her presentation on her research on evaluating how effective a chemotherapy was at killing leukemic cancer cells, which she conducted during her summer 2024 internship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Texas Medical Center. HCU Students Ray Cagumbay and Eduardo Lopez each won third place for their research presentations.

East Texas Baptist University celebrated the installation of the Lambda Iota Chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, a national music honor society, within the Department of Music and Theatre Arts. The charter installation and induction ceremony took place April 7. Founded in 1918 at Northwestern University, Pi Kappa Lambda is one of the nation’s oldest honor societies devoted to the promotion of scholarly inquiry and artistic achievement in the field of music. The organization invites only students and faculty who demonstrate the highest levels of excellence in musicianship and scholarship to become members. ETBU inductees included student members Heather Auvil, Caden Perkins, Jackson Darby and Madison Queen. Faculty inductees were Douglas Lockard, dean, School of Communication and Performing Arts; Patrick Antinone, director of choral activities and assistant professor of music; and Nathan Phillips, chair, Department of Music and Theatre Arts, director of bands and assistant professor of music.

Curious about how emerging technologies—especially AI—are shaping the church today and in the future? Truett Theological Seminary, in partnership with Baylor University Libraries and the Baylor School of Engineering & Computer Science, invites Texas Baptists to engage in this crucial conversation at the AI and the Church Conference on May 5. RSVP now to attend this free event online or in-person.

Howard Payne University recently recognized four students at its annual Servant Leadership Awards chapel for their servant leadership on campus and in the community. Those honored were Brylee Awbrey of Midland; Patricia Garibaybartolo of Nolanville; Luke Moss of Brownwood; and Evangeline Skolaut of New Braunfels. Moss and Skolaut each received the Howard Payne University Servant Leadership Award. Awbrey and Garibaybartolo each were presented the Dr. Nat Tracy Servant Leadership Award. Award recipients are selected from nominations made by HPU personnel and students. Established in 2007 by HPU through the generosity of the Moore Foundation and the Barney II Foundation, the HPU Servant Leadership Award recognizes exemplary junior-level students in the areas of leadership and service. A $1,000 scholarship is provided to each recipient of the award. The Dr. Nat Tracy Servant Leadership Award, designated for senior-level students, was established in 1998 to honor the life of the late Dr. Nat Tracy, a faculty member in HPU’s School of Christian Studies from 1950 to 1975.

Wayland Baptist University, Lubbock, presents its annual Denim & Diamonds Scholarship Gala on May 13 at the Overton Hotel, located at 2322 Mac Davis Lane in Lubbock. This year’s event honors Noe and Irma Valles, generous community leaders and Wayland supporters. All proceeds from the gala go toward establishing the Noe & Irma Valles Endowed Scholarship for students attending Wayland’s Lubbock campus. The evening begins with a silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Guests are invited to wear Denim & Diamonds attire to enjoy a night of celebration and giving. To purchase tickets or learn more, please visit https://tinyurl.com/mr2ysucb.

Baylor University and McLennan Community College announced they will offer two new General Assembly training programs to learners interested in launching or growing tech career skills. The Python programming short course is a seven-week course with live sessions twice a week, along with self-paced learning that can be completed on students’ own schedules. Participants will have the opportunity to earn entry-level Python programmer certification and gain the skills necessary to launch a high-growth career in software engineering. The 12-week IT basics short course will consist of one weekly live session and asynchronous learning. The course is designed to help participants prepare to take the required exams to become A+ certified. General Assembly will partner with Baylor University and MCC on the course design, and manage admissions, program onboarding and post-program evaluation. To learn more and apply, visit the General Assembly website.