EULESS, Texas (BP) – Naghmeh Abedini, whose husband Saeed Abedini is imprisoned in an Iranian prison for sharing his Christian faith, expressed her passion -- and her husband's passion -- for rescuing "that one sheep" with the Gospel during an evangelism conference, Feb. 23. Naghmeh was one of the speakers at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention's Empower Conference at First Baptist Church (First Euless) in Euless, Texas. During her message, she said the evening before she had … [Read more...]
Moore: SCOTUS will ‘probably’ OK gay marriage
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court likely will legalize gay marriage nationwide, labeling it a constitutional right under the 14th Amendment, Southern Baptists' lead ethicist told state convention executives and Baptist state paper editors Feb. 11. Associate Justice Clarence Thomas was "probably right" in his apparent prediction that the Supreme Court's recent denial of a stay to halt legalized same-sex marriage in Alabama "is a signal of what the court intends to do," … [Read more...]
Korean churches see CP’s value
TORRANCE, Calif. (BP) – The more time Paul Kim spent with his fellow Southern Baptist pastors, the more he saw the discrepancy between the way they did missions and the way he led Good Community Church to do missions. The California church doubled in size after he refocused his congregation to join together with other Southern Baptist churches for cooperative missions. Good Community Church was organized in 1991. By 2007, it had grown to 500 people participating in Sunday morning worship … [Read more...]
Coalition: marriage in crisis
NASHVILLE (BP) – In the wake of an interfaith Vatican conference on marriage two months ago, a coalition of Roman Catholics and evangelicals – including Southern Baptist Timothy George – has issued a statement calling the legalization of same-sex marriage “a graver threat” to society than either “easy acceptance of divorce” or “widespread cohabitation.” “We must say, as clearly as possible, that same-sex unions, even when sanctioned by the state, are not marriages,” the statement, titled … [Read more...]
N. Korea remains atop persecution list
NASHVILLE (BP) – While North Korea held its spot for the 13th consecutive year as the most dangerous country for Christians to live, a new report noted other countries are experiencing unprecedented levels of persecution. Open Doors, which seeks to strengthen the persecuted church overseas, recently released its annual World Watch List. The list ranks the top 50 countries where it is most dangerous and difficult to be a Christian. Among the top 10 of the 2015 list were these countries: … [Read more...]
White church dissolves ‘to glorify God’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) – What should a traditional, white Southern Baptist congregation do when they can no longer sustain their ministries or their facilities, when the community around them looks nothing like their membership, when they know they are dying? Emmanuel Baptist Church was a thriving rural fellowship. But after 61 years of ministry, the North Carolina church's leaders faced some painful decisions. In June 2014 by unanimous vote, Emmanuel's property was deeded to Meeting … [Read more...]
Gospel spreads despite Boko Haram
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (BP) – As Boko Haram militants continue to attack Nigeria and threaten neighboring countries, Christian workers there say the Gospel is going forth and impacting receptive hearts. Greg Dorsey*, a Christian worker in West Africa, said Nigerian Christians are effectively engaging many areas of the country. “The northeastern corner of Nigeria where Boko Haram has wielded most of its activities remains a difficult area for believers to freely worship and share their faith,” … [Read more...]
’50 Shades” best-kept secret
EDITOR'S NOTE: The movie version of "50 Shades of Grey" will open in theaters on Valentine's Day. Katie McCoy of BiblicalWoman.com provides counsel to women -- who are the fastest-growing consumers of pornography -- for attaining freedom from "the never-ending cycle of lust." FORT WORTH -- We used to blush about it. It was the kind of thing that women kept quiet about. It was personal -- too personal -- and not at all "ladylike." Now, all of that has changed. The "50 Shades of Grey" … [Read more...]
Seahawks coach ponders wins, losses for Christ
PHOENIX (BP) – Going into Sunday's Super Bowl matchup against the New England Patriots, Sherman Smith shared how victory on the football field without Jesus Christ would be, for him, a "serious waste of time." "I'll never forget when I got drafted in [1976], my father told me, 'Son, remember this, playing professional football is how you make your living but it's not your life because it's gonna end. You're gonna stop playing one day and life will continue.' I never forgot that," the … [Read more...]
Saudi blogger to receive 1,000 lashes
WASHINGTON (BP) – The first 50 of 1,000 lashes was meted out to a Saudi blogger in front of a mosque last month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to news reports and human rights organizations. The blogger, Raif Badawi, is "the victim of a cruel and barbaric act carried out by the Saudi justice system," the chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Katrina Lantos-Swett, said in a news release the same day. Badawi is sentenced to receive 50 lashes weekly after … [Read more...]
Abedini meets with Obama
BOISE, Idaho (BP) – Seeking the release of Saeed Abedini remains a "top priority," President Obama told Naghmeh Abedini during a private 10-minute meeting with her and her children Jan. 21 at Boise State University. Obama pledged to seek his release with renewed energy. "He was holding my hand the whole time. I could see that he cared in his eyes and he kept getting that across, that he cares, and he's doing what he can [to gain Saeed's release]," she said during a radio interview with … [Read more...]
How SBC became pro-life
NASHVILLE (BP) – In 1979, Larry Lewis picked up a copy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and saw a full-page ad listing the Southern Baptist Convention among denominations that affirmed the right to abortion. "Right there beside the Unitarians and universalists was the Southern Baptist Convention," Lewis, a St. Louis pastor who went on to become president of the Home Mission Board (now the North American Mission Board), told Baptist Press. "... That bothered me a lot." So Lewis did … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- …
- 38
- Next Page »