WASHINGTON (BP) — The legislative effort to defund Planned Parenthood failed Monday (Aug. 3) in the U.S. Senate, but pro-life advocates said they will not give up. The Senate voted 53-46 to bring to the floor a bill to eliminate federal funds for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its affiliates. In its latest financial report (2013-14), PPFA said it received more than $528 million in federal grants, contracts and reimbursements. It performed 327,653 abortions in … [Read more...]
LifeWay’s offer for new downtown location accepted
NASHVILLE (BP) -- LifeWay Christian Resources' offer to purchase 1.5 acres in downtown Nashville for a new office building has been accepted, the Southern Baptist entity announced Tuesday (July 21). The city's Metro Development and Housing Agency (MDHA), which owns the property, unanimously approved sale of the site for $12.7 million, with a tax incentive of $4.9 million that can fund specific aspects of the construction, effectively reducing the purchase cost to less than $8 … [Read more...]
Floyd & former SBC presidents take marriage stance
COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- The current and 16 former Southern Baptist Convention presidents released a statement on biblical marriage and the national implications of same-sex marriage in a June 17 news conference prior to the concluding sessions of the SBC annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. The full statement follows: As Southern Baptist Christians, we are committed to Biblical faith and ethics. As a result, this body of Believers stands on the authority of Scripture and God's Truth as … [Read more...]
SBC reports more churches, fewer people
By Carol Pipes NASHVILLE (BP) -- Southern Baptists are adding more churches but serving fewer members who are giving fewer dollars, 2014 data compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources shows. The number of cooperating churches within the Southern Baptist Convention rose for the 15th consecutive year, but the churches lost more than 200,000 members, the biggest one-year decline since 1881, according to the Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by LifeWay in cooperation with Baptist state … [Read more...]
Abedini beating intensifies calls for release
TEHRAN, Iran (BP) -- American pastor Saeed Abedini has been "viciously" beaten in the Iranian prison where he is being held for his Christian faith, the American Center for Law and Justice reported June 10, prompting renewed calls for Abedini's release as a condition of any nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran. "It is crucial to speak out for Saeed as we approach the June 30th deadline between the United States and Iran," Abedini's wife Naghmeh said in a June 10 Facebook post. She … [Read more...]
Jack Graham: It’s ‘crying time in America’
WASHINGTON (BP) – Pleas for revival and religious freedom were heard repeatedly at the National Day of Prayer service May 7 in Washington, including the keynote address by Southern Baptist pastor Jack Graham and a letter he read from imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini. Graham, pastor of the 40,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and a former Southern Baptist Convention president, served as honorary chairperson of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. “We are facing a … [Read more...]
Social Media: Six hashtag dos & don’ts for churches
NASHVILLE (BP) – The hashtag (or # symbol) has become vital for online communication over the last few years. Church and ministry leaders can use it to better engage their target audience and bring a Christian perspective to popular topics on social media. Though the hashtag is now used on a number of social media platforms for similar purposes, the symbol first became popular on Twitter in 2007. While it’s frequently used today to add emphasis (#Truth) or sarcasm (#Really?) to the end of … [Read more...]
1995 bombing made them grapple with forgiveness
OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) – Although Oklahoma City police chaplains Jack and Phyllis Poe weren’t inside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building when a truck bomb exploded at 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, the aftereffects of the tragedy pushed them to grapple with forgiveness. “One of the things we really didn’t understand is, as caregivers, we want to make a difference, but we didn’t realize that you can give yourselves away. And, Phyllis and I gave ourselves away,” Poe said, reminiscing about the … [Read more...]
Hedger to re-nominate Yeats as SBC recording secretary
COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) – Joshua Hedger, a pastor and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary administrator, will nominate John L. Yeats for a 19th term as recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention at the June 16-17 annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. As executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention since 2011, Yeats has demonstrated leadership and invested in pastors' lives, said Hedger, pastor of preaching and vision at Emmaus Church in the Kansas City, Mo., area and … [Read more...]
National CP shows signs of rebounding
NASHVILLE (BP) – Despite a five-year decline in church membership and a corresponding decrease in per capita giving, the national portion of the Cooperative Program shows signs of rebounding through the first five months of fiscal 2014–2015. Year-to-date contributions to the Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program Allocation Budget through Jan. 31 totaled $64,702,035.77, the highest amount since the Jan. 31, 2012, report. Though lower than the $67.8 million received through January … [Read more...]
800,000 children displaced by Boko Haram
NASHVILLE (BP) – One year after Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria, more than 800,000 children remain displaced by the Islamic militant group's onslaught in Nigeria and neighboring countries, UNICEF reported April 13. The number of displaced children -- among 1.5 million people forced to flee their homes in the region -- has more than doubled within the past year in northeast Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad, UNICEF stated in a report titled "Missing Childhoods: … [Read more...]
New Obamacare tax law may affect churches
NASHVILLE (BP) – A new tax rule in conjunction with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may affect many churches that pay or reimburse individual health insurance premiums, and imposes daily fines beginning June 30 for those not in compliance. GuideStone Financial Resources health plan participants should notice no impact as a result of the rule known as IRS Notice 2015-17, GuideStone said in a March 2 press release. Other churches whose employees do not participate in a group … [Read more...]
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